YuGiOh! Dragon Destiny
by nyjetsrulz87
Summary: The story of 5 University students from differing backgrounds who's destiny are altered by the hands of fate. They have been chosen to be blessed/cursed with the power of creatures that have existed for many years, the Guardian Dragons.
1. Chapter 1 Welcome To Domino City!

It was a dark, crisp night. A full moon almost as bright as the sun itself was radiating its light down onto a dense forest. Within that forest, footsteps of someone running can be heard as each step planted on the ground crushed leaves or snapped twigs. A young man was revealed; he was slim at average height with light brown hair with blond tips on his fringe. He was breathing heavily and constantly looking back as if he is being chased by something. He had cuts and grazes on his face and body from the stems and branches that hit him as he continues running.

Suddenly he stops running and notices in front of him lots of speckles of bright lights which could only be described as stardust. "No" said the young man quietly and as he slowly looked up into the sky and he saw two large yellow eyes staring at him. The man looked shocked and scared as he started moving backwards before he started running again in the direction he first came. He was breathing heavier in a more panicked state as he desperately tried to escape. He finally made it out of the forest and into a large field but as he looked back up to the sky, he saw the same piercing eyes. This time though he could make out the body of the creature. He noticed widespread wings and a tail but wasn't sure of the rest as the body was camouflaged in the sky. The creature quietly growled and then flew towards him. The man tried running again but this time he tripped and fell. As he turned round he screamed as the creature came to him with it's mouth wide open as it seems he was about to eat him.

A young man rose from his bed breathing heavily and covered in sweat. It was the same man who was running in the forest. He put his hand on his face as an attempt to get himself together and looked to his right at his clock. The time was 3:32am; he got out of bed and opened his window to climb onto the rooftop of the house. As he sat on the rooftop he was looking at the sky thinking about his dream.

MAN: ("What is going on? I've been having this dream for the past month or so now. It must have some meaning but what? Well, I'm gonna have to let it go for now as today is an important day so I better get a few more hours in").

**Chapter 1-Welcome to Domino University**

MAN: "RYUSEI!! RYUSEI!! WAKE UP!!"

It was morning with the sun shining brightly, wishing a good day to all. The young man from yesterday was still sleeping to the annoyance of his Uncle Hiro. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs in a red jumper and grey trousers with a shaven beard. He looked to be in his early 40s but his short brown hair was dyed so he looked younger.

"I've already called him twice and now he's making me come up there!" he muttered as he stormed up the stairs. Hiro burst into Ryusei's room and noticed he was still sleeping.

"Wake up Ryusei!"

Ryusei slightly turned his head and replied back

"Go away; I'll be up in a few minutes."

Hiro's started to become angry so he grabbed the duvet covering Ryusei and threw it on the floor.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" Ryusei exclaimed.

Hiro stood confused from Ryusei's comment and pointed at his clock which displayed the time as 10:02am.

"CRAP!" Ryusei shouted as he jumped out of bed and bolted out of the door and into the shower. Hiro chuckled to himself and walked back downstairs to have breakfast. Ryusei finished his shower and dried himself quickly. He got dressed into his jeans and blue T-Shirt, stormed out the door and literally jumped down to the bottom of the stairs.

"Your bag is already in the car", Ryusei turned to see Hiro in the kitchen finishing his breakfast, before he could say anything Hiro said

"Since you are late I'll drop you off and after you're done for the day I'll pick you up so you can get your bike okay?"

"Thanks."

After Hiro finished his breakfast and washed up, they both went out of the house, got into the car and they drove off heading towards Domino University.

About half and hour later Ryusei arrived at the entrance of Domino University. Ryusei looked back and said to Hiro.

"I'll be finished by about four so come by then."

Hiro nodded as he drove off and Ryusei climbed up a few steps and went inside. The front room was large and spacious as well as busy with lots of students walking in different directions. There were doors to his left, right and at the back leading to different corridors and areas. He went to the helpdesk located in the middle of the room and spoke to a woman who was the receptionist on duty.

"Hi. I'm here to register myself to the University." Ryusei said politely.

"You know we told everybody to be here at 9:30 sharp so you don't miss any lectures" the receptionist replied. "But anyway, fill in this form and then you'll be done."

Ryusei filled in the form and gave it to her, she entered the details in her computer and in return she gave him a small box of items.

"Okay." She said "In here is your Student ID, your login details for our network system and your PDA which is already preloaded with all lectures and tutorials. Also here is your room key. You will be staying at room 42 at Domino East Dorm"

"Domino East?" Ryusei asked nervously

"Go outside and turn right. Keep walking straight for about 15 minutes and you will see it." The receptionist replied

"Thank you."

Ryusei arrived at the dormitory which was large by its own right. He went inside and saw how big the place was. The ground floor seemed to be a common room with a pool table, magazines, snack machines and plenty of chairs and tables. At the back was a kitchen for people who wanted to cook their own food, and a dining area next to it which could seat about 20 people. He climbed up two flights of stairs and saw the room numbers across the doors. He carried on until he saw no.42. He put the key in and opened the door and noticed a spacious room inside. There were two beds, two desks and two chairs (one on either side of the room). Ryusei saw that the bed furthest from him was taken as someone else's belongings were there. He put his bag and box down the other bed and turned on his PDA. He opened up the timetable and noticed that he has a lecture at 11am. He looked at the clock on the PDA and it displayed 11:11am.

Ryusei: ("Crap! I'm late!")

He grabbed his bag and ran out the door, down the stairs and out of the dorm. He ran straight across a soccer field and in about five minutes he reached the entrance of the University. He went inside not paying attention to anything inside just looking for the lecture room M016. He found the room and gently knocked the door and entered slowly. He noticed a mature woman wearing a grey suit with glasses and tied black hair standing in front of a projector and a class of 20-30 students all seated.

"Ah, so kind of you to join us." The woman said.

Ryusei was slightly confused thinking that does she know him and was about the speak but then the woman said

"I'm Ms. Nakijima, and you are late, show up more than 5 minutes late again for my lesson don't bother coming in."

"I'm sorry."

Ryusei went to the back of the room as the only free chair was at the back with some of the students staring at him.

The day went quickly after various lectures and the time finally reached 4pm. Ryusei went to the entrance of the University and saw Hiro arrive. He jumped into the car and they drove back towards home.

"Tough day?" Hiro asked noticing that Ryusei was completely silent throughout the journey so far.

"You can say that. But don't worry about it." Ryusei replied.

"If you say so, but just remember no matter what happens, have faith…"

"In yourself and in your ability" Ryusei interrupted Hiro in a tiresome way like he's heard the phrase a million times before. "You really got to come up with some new sayings you know".

"Classics are always the best" Hiro said smiling. "Anyway as for tonight you can stay for dinner if you want and then go back after." Ryusei nodded in agreement and they arrived home.

It was evening, around 8:00pm. The sun was nearly set creating an orange skyline. The town of Domino was busy with many people walking the streets, or in restaurants and bars enjoying themselves. Someone walked out of a card shop with a bag of booster packs. He was wearing his Student ID on the side of his trousers and it said 'Shinji Endo-Domino East'. He was a short person wearing grey from top to bottom and brown hair with the front of his hair just touching the top of his glasses. He was walking through the busy town heading back to the University and cut through the soccer field to make his journey quicker. However this time he noticed some guys there, about five of them, drinking a few beers and messing around. Shinji tried to walk past unnoticed but he was spotted. A guy stood up, stood tall and had blonde hair wearing a denim jacket, white t-shirt and jeans.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" the guy said. Shinji froze and saw the rest of the group get up and joined him. The blonde guy walked up to Shinji and stared him down; Shinji got a glimpse of his student ID which said "Yuri Nakamura-Domino South". Shinji was surprised realising who he was as the rest of gang surrounded him. Yuri then grabbed Shinji's bag looking at the many boosters within.

"Give it back!" he shouted.

"No can do little guy, this will be payment for passing through" Yuri replied.

Meanwhile, Ryusei now with a black jacket on was riding his motorbike (metallic blue Yamaha) back to the University and as he looked to his right he saw the situation that was happening on the field. He parked his bike, took off his helmet and ran to the field.

As Yuri was opening a few packs he noticed the cards were useless to him so he threw him on the floor. Shinji got angry and charged at him but one of Yuri's gang members punched him in the stomach, winding Shinji as he fell to the ground.

"What do you want us to do with him?" one of the guys asked.

"Whatever you want." Yuri said ignorantly as he was too busy opening packs.

Shinji was grabbed by the shirt and lifted up. The guy who grabbed him clenched his fist ready to knock him out when a punch out of nowhere hit the guy in the mouth knocking a tooth out. Shinji fell to the floor and noticed someone standing in front of him. The rest of the gang were in shock as their friend was knocked out cold. They looked and saw the man that was standing in front of Shinji, it was Ryusei.

Yuri just noticed what happened.

"That's quite a punch you got there" Yuri complemented stepping in front of his crew. Ryusei put his fists up getting ready to fight as he felt that he will have to fight his way out. Yuri was smiling and then he noticed a pouch on Ryusei's trousers which is where you carry duelling decks.

"So you are a duellist eh?" Yuri asked, surprising Ryusei. "Well, I have an idea, how about a friendly game? You win then you both can walk free." Yuri's gang were protesting but he wasn't listening. Ryusei put his hands down and answered

"I don't have a Duel Disk with me"

"I'm sure someone can lend you one" Yuri stated.

One of his gang members got one from his bag and threw the Duel Disk which Ryusei caught and put on.

"So you accept?" Yuri asked

"Yeah I do, but I think I'll change the terms." Ryusei asked

"Meaning?"

"Meaning if you win I'll walk away and ignore what has happened here. But if I win, we walk free with the cards and I get to keep the Duel Disk"

The gang were angry that this guy had the nerve to ask that of Yuri but he smirked and gladly accepted. They both put their decks into their Duel Disks and activated the holograms and both shouted "Duel!"

LP (Ryusei-4000/Yuri-4000)

"My turn!" Ryusei declared. "I summon Magician's Valkyria (1600/1800) in defense mode! I will end my turn after that".

Shinji: ("A Spellcaster Deck? I haven't seen one of those in a long time!")

"Fine" Yuri said "My turn and I will summon V-Tiger Jet (1600/1800) in attack mode and then play the spell Frontline Base! Due to this spell I can Special Summon a Union monster from my hand like W-Wing Catapult! (1300/1500)"

Yuri's gang started cheering as they know what is coming next. Yuri smiled before he continued.

"V-Tiger and W-Wing! Combine together to form VW-Tiger Catapult! (2000/2100). Now I discard one card from my hand (Z-Metal Tank) to switch your Valkyria to attack mode! VW Catapult, attack his monster with Heat Seeking Barrage!"

VW launched multiple missiles which exploded in front of Valkyria, shattering it to pieces.

LP (3600/4000)

"I play one card face down and end my turn. Your move, unless you wanna quit."

"Not a chance!" Ryusei stated as he drew a card. "I play Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (1800/700) in defense mode! I then play a face-down and end my turn" a large card appeared behind Kycoo.

"Your move!"

"You're too kind." Yuri replied sarcastically "My turn! And I'll activate Pot of Greed so I draw 2 cards and then summon X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) to the field and due to Frontline Base I can summon Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600) as well!"

Shinji: ("if he's gonna do what I think he is going to do this duel will be over!")

"I then activate my face down card! Roll Out!

"No way!" Shinji said with shock in his face but Ryusei stayed completely calm.

"This trap selects a Union Monster in the Graveyard and equips it to a monster to the field so Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300) is hooking up with my X-Head Cannon! But there is no real point of telling you the details of that as I'm combining them all again!"

X-Head, Y-Dragon and Z-Metal all rose in the air and combined together before coming to the ground "Now XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800/2600) comes forth!"

"Are you done yet?" Ryusei asked.

"Aren't we impatient? Yuri replied "I don't know why you want to rush to lose but anyway, we all got our preferences. I now combine my VW and XYZ monsters together!"

As the machines split apart and combined again, Yuri's gang was looking in awe and Shinji was looking scared thinking that this duel is over in just a few turns.

"Now! Meet my greatest machine! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon! (3000/2800)"

Ryusei still looked calm which annoyed Yuri.

"I'll now use my Cannon's special ability to remove from play 1 card on your field like your face-down." Ryusei's trap was flipped face-up and then disintegrated. It was Negate Attack. Yuri smiled as he knows he's more or less won.

"Finally as some icing on the cake I'll equip my Cannon with Fairy Meteor Crush! So when I attack and my monster's attack is higher than your monster's defense, the difference is dealt to you as damage. VWXYZ attack Kycoo!"

The machine lifted two cannons from it's side and shot large lasers engulfing Kycoo and blasting Ryusei, who put his arms up to protect himself.

LP (1300/4000).

Yuri's gang was laughing and cheering while Shinji had a panicked look on his face.

"You are pathetic! All you have been doing is playing defense and nothing meaningful! Word of advice buddy, before you go and try to save people, make sure you have the skills to back it up!"

Shinji was almost in a panicky state. Ryusei noticed this and then said to him "What's your name?"

Shinji was confused as to how calm he was and cried out

"You are about to lose and have me beaten to a pulp and you want to know my name?!" Ryusei turned around and looked at him, Shinji looked back and noticed a resolve in his eyes and said calmly

"Shinji."

"Shinji, I wouldn't have made those terms if I know I couldn't keep them. When I make a promise I will never break it. That is my belief, my principle. So when I say we will walk away free, we will walk away free." This statement gave Shinji a bit of hope while Yuri and his group were laughing hysterically.

"Noble speech man, but there is hope and there is delusional. Anyway, it's your move daydreamer!" Yuri said laughing.

Ryusei closed his eyes and prepared to draw his card.

Ryusei: ("Listen to me, my Deck, listen to my heart and guide me to victory").

He drew his card slowly and held it up to his face. As he opened his eyes he smiled which concerned Yuri. Ryusei placed the card in his hand and said

"I summon Apprentice Magician (400/800) in attack mode!"

"What is that gonna do?" Yuri asked

"You'll see. I activate my Spell Card, Brain Control! I pay 800 Life Points to take control of your V-Z Cannon."

LP (500/4000)

Yuri couldn't believe what just happened as a brain with hands grabbed his monster and placed it on Ryusei's side of the field.

"I then activate Magical Dimension!"

"What's that?" Yuri asked

"When I have a Spellcaster out, I can tribute 1 monster to Special Summon a Spellcaster from my hand. So your Cannon goes to the Graveyard." Yuri expressed a pained face "So I can summon Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000)!"

Yuri and his gang were looking shocked at the play Ryusei made as Cybernetic Magician emitted a white light from its body.

"Next I'll activate its special ability! By discarding a card from my hand I can make a monster's attack become 2000 like my Apprentice Magician (2000/800)!" As Cybernetic Magician embalmed a white light from his hand on to Apprentice Magician increasing her attack, Yuri realised that in one turn he lost the duel that he was controlling from the very start.

"Apprentice Magician and Cybernetic Magician! Attack him directly!"

As two beams came at him, one dark and one light, Yuri put his arms to block the attacks and in the aftermath of the attacks he dropped to his knees.

(500/0).

His gang were completely blown away from what happened. Ryusei deactivated his Duel Disk and picked up Shinji's bag and the cards on the floor and put them in the bag.

"Let's go." Shinji got up and followed Ryusei out of the field and to the road. Yuri punched the ground in anger.

Yuri: ("How could I lose to some nobody?! I will find him and crush him next time! Mark my words!")

Ryusei gave Shinji his black helmet and rode on his motorbike as a passenger. They reached their Dorm and it was quiet as most of the people were out. They climbed up the stairs and Ryusei enquired

"What's your room number?"

"42" Shinji answered

"So you're my room mate?" Ryusei said

Shinji was confused until Ryusei grabbed the key to open room 42 and they both went in. Both of them sat on their beds straight away, tired from the evening's events. Shinji then broke the silence.

"Thank you for saving me. Not many people would have done what you did."

"No problem" Ryusei said

"But I want to know something, how did you remain calm like that? And how did you know you were going to win?" Shinji asked.

"I always believe in myself and my Deck to get me out of any situation. As someone told me before, have faith in yourself and your ability and then you can do anything."

Shinji was almost awestruck with those words and was starting to think who this guy really is.

"I haven't introduced myself properly" He cleared his throat and said "I'm Shinji Endo" as he stretched his hand.

"Ryusei Fujiwara" and the two shook hands.

Preview: Ryusei is pulling all nighters to catch up on his studies. Unbeknownst to him that Shinji is spreading the story of Ryusei's triumph of one of Domino South's elite duellists. A girl called Vanessa, a colleague of Shinji's gets wind of this story and challenges Ryusei to a duel with her expensive Counter Fairies.

Chapter 2-Work Or Play, Mages In The Sky!


	2. Chapter 2 Work Or Play, Mages In The Sky

Location: Domino South Dormitory

This dorm was a similar size if not larger than Domino East. Inside was generally the same but with a few extravagant extras. Silk curtains, leather chairs and sofas, plasma TVs and many more.

Up the stairs on the top floor was a young man walking along the corridor. He was at average height with short brown hair, wearing a beige shirt, jeans and trainers. He reached the last door of the corridor and as soon as he was about to knock, the door opened. A beautiful girl with black hair walked out of the room. A man followed to the doorway, wearing black trousers but no shirt. He had long blonde hair dropping just below his shoulder with a fringe which reached over his light blue eyes.

"Call me." The girl said while leaving.

As she walked down the stairs the blonde man went back into his room and the other guy followed. The room was immaculate, with expensive items and gadgets around the room. Silk sheets were on the bed, the same material was on the curtains, and a TV showing the latest stock market news.

"New girlfriend?" the guy asked.

"What do you think?" the blonde man replied smiling. "What's up anyway?"

"Have you heard?" the other guy asked with a serious tone.

As the blonde man put on a white T-shirt and black blazer he replied

"Who hasn't heard?" he fixed his Student ID on the side of his trousers which said 'Hayate Nakamura-Domino South'.

"So what are you going to do about it?" the guy asked

Hayate sighed as he picked up couple of text books from his desk. As he was about to walk out of the room he stopped and said,

"Leave it to me."

**Chapter 2-Work Or Play, Mages In The Sky! **

Shinji woke up and stretched himself in bed. He looked at his watch and noticed the time was 8.35am. It was a little bit earlier than when he usually wakes up but he had no complaints. As he raised himself from his bed he saw Ryusei on a desk working away with a pile of books on his right and papers to his left.

"You worked all night again?" Shinji asked "You've done this for the last three days Ryusei, don't you think you should take a break?"

Ryusei just ignored him and carried on with his work. Shinji just sighed, took a towel and headed straight to the bathroom to have a shower.

Shinji finished his shower and changed into his clothes. He then noticed Ryusei was still working away as he picked up another text book and started to read it.

"Don't you have lectures today?" Shinji asked.

"I have a free day today." Ryusei answered.

"And you're not going to enjoy it by I don't know, relaxing, going out or doing something fun?" Shinji asked again.

While writing some notes Ryusei answered,

"I started late in the semester so I missed over a week's worth of lectures and tutorials. If I have no distractions today I will have caught up with the timetable, so there won't be any relaxing until then."

"Fair enough, I will be back after lunch as I have a couple of lectures, so see you later, and take a break sometime, you're not a machine" Shinji said while closing the door.

The time was 1pm. Shinji finished his double lecture on Java Programming and headed to the University's cafeteria for lunch. As he bought a bowl of chow mein with some rice pudding he heard a girl's voice from somewhere.

"Shinji! Over here!" someone said. Shinji looked left and then right until he saw a girl waving. She had long, tied green hair and brown eyes, wearing a pink polo T-shirt and navy blue tracksuit bottoms. Shinji went to her direction and sat at her table with her and a few common friends.

"Hi, Vanessa. Guys and girls." Shinji said.

"So where is he?" Vanessa asked straight away before Shinji could even start eating.

The rest of the table looked confused from the question. Shinji realised who she was talking about and replied,

"He's still working."

"Again? It's like the third day in a row now! Doesn't he have a life? Or maybe it's what I first thought when I heard the story, you made it up!"

"No I didn't!" Shinji announced.

"What are you talking about?" one the girls on the table asked.

"You know the story about some random guy beating Yuri Nakamura in a duel?" Vanessa stated. The whole table nodded in understanding of the statement. "Well, Shinji claims that the guy who beat him is not only a student here, but he is his roommate."

"No way!" one of the guys said "That would mean a guy from Domino East would have beaten one of South's best duellists! He must be really good!"

"Yeah but he hasn't faced me yet." Vanessa said smiling. "He won't stand a chance against my Deck."

"You and your 'expensive fairies'" the girl said.

"Well they are. It's the best deck ever!"

"I don't know." Shinji interrupted. "Your deck is pretty cool but I'm starting to believe that Ryusei is another level."

This really annoyed Vanessa so she slammed her hands on the table and said in a raised voice,

"Fine! If you believe that then I'll just have to prove that my Deck is the best!" She got up from the table and headed out of the cafeteria.

"Where are you going?!" Shinji asked.

"To challenge you're roommate!"

Back in room 42, Ryusei was still working away but in a few moments he put his pen down and leaned back on his chair.

Ryusei: ("Just two more books and a set of lecture notes and then I'm done. However, Shinji is right. Having a break for a few minutes wouldn't hurt.")

Ryusei got up and went downstairs. There were a few people around, playing pool and just chatting. He selected some tea from a coffee machine, sat down and then picked up a magazine to read. A few minutes later Vanessa came in the door looking around to see if she can find Ryusei, despite the fact she doesn't even know what he looks like. Shortly afterwards her friends and Shinji busted in and Shinji noticed Ryusei sitting down reading.

"Ryusei?" Shinji said.

Ryusei looked up and saw him with a few other people and then a face appeared in front of him.

"So you're Ryusei Fujiwara?" Vanessa asked intriguingly.

"Who wants to know?" Ryusei asked back.

"I'm Vanessa Rogers, pleased to meet you." She offered her hand but Ryusei just stared at her which slightly annoyed her.

"Vanessa right? Is there something you want?"

"Yeah there is actually. A duel!" Vanessa declared. The place fell silent as the people were intrigued to why a duel will happen. Ryusei stared at her before going back to his magazine, saying

"No thanks."

Shinji blew a sigh of relief but Vanessa was taking no for an answer.

"I heard a story about you so I want to test your strength so let's go already."

Ryusei turned a page of his magazine.

"Again, no thanks, and what story?"

"Shinji was saying how you are the one who beat Yuri Nakamura a few days ago." Vanessa said pointing to Shinji.

Ryusei looked at Shinji and Shinji turned away pretending that he didn't see him. Ryusei looked back at Vanessa and replied,

"So? He's just another duellist." The people were muttering to each other in surprised fashion as this guy has beaten one of the best duellists in this University.

"So it is you?" Vanessa asked.

"What is the big deal about it?" Ryusei asked. Vanessa thought she had a plan to trap him so she proclaimed

"I'll happily explain everything to you including why you winning the other day is a big deal IF, you can beat me in a duel."

Ryusei turned another page in his magazine and said,

"I'll take my chances, plus I have no time to waste due to the amount of work I still have to do, so for the last time no and you're not gonna change my mind."

Vanessa was getting angry so she did what any other person would do. She took a huge deep breath and said

"Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me!"

Ryusei was ignoring it at first but Vanessa kept on taking deep breaths and repeating the same phrase for a good 5 minutes. Most people were amazed to see the perseverance of Vanessa for continuing and the amount of patience Ryusei had. After another minute Ryusei started to crack as his face was turning into an angry face.

"Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! Duel me! DUUUUEEELLL MEEE!!!" Vanessa shouted

Ryusei snapped and shouted "ALL RIGHT!! ALL RIGHT!! I'LL DUEL YOU!!"

Vanessa stopped and then said "You didn't have to shout you know"

"Let's just go" Ryusei said with pure frustration.

Outside the dormitory Ryusei and Vanessa shuffled their decks and placed them into their Duel Disks. Everyone who was in the dormitory was now outside watching in anticipation of the coming duel.

"Duel!" They both declared.

LP (Vanessa-4000/Ryusei-4000)

"Ladies first!" Vanessa said as she drew. "I summon Bountiful Artemis (1600/1700) in attack mode! Then I will set 3 face-downs and end my turn."

Ryusei: ("3 face-downs. All Traps I think, this is gonna be difficult.")

"My turn, draw!" Ryusei announced as he drew Apprentice Magician. "I summon Apprentice Magician (400/800) in attack mode. Next I play the Spell, Magical Dimension!"

"Stop right there!" Vanessa said,

"What?"

"I activate my Trap, Magic Drain! When you activate a Spell, my Trap negates it. Unless, you have a Spell Card to discard from your hand."

Ryusei looked at his hand and saw Mind Control but decided against it.

"No I don't." Magical Dimension exploded in to pieces.

"Also due to the effect of my Artemis, I get to draw a card every time a Counter Trap is activated." Vanessa said and then drew her card.

"I play one card face-down and end my turn"

"Draw!" Vanessa stated. "I summon Meltiel, Sage of the Sky (1600/1200) in attack mode! Next is the Field Spell, The Sanctuary in the Sky!" Clouds surrounded Ryusei and Vanessa with a tall sanctuary standing behind Vanessa. "As long as my Sanctuary is in play I take no battle damage if Fairy monsters are involved."

Ryusei had an expression that said it didn't matter so Vanessa went straight into battle.

"Artemis! Attack Apprentice Magician!" Vanessa declared

"I activate my Trap, Negate Attack!" Ryusei said "So your attack is cancelled and ends the Battle Phase!"

"Don't think so! Go Dark Bribe!" Vanessa replied. Ryusei still kept calm but was aware of the predicament he is under.

"Dark Bribe negates your Trap but you get a draw a card." As Ryusei drew his card his Apprentice Magician exploded and Vanessa's Life Points went up by 1000.

LP (5000/4000)

"What the..?"

"That's my Meltiel's doing there." Vanessa interrupted. "When I activate a Counter Trap I gain 1000 Life Points and if Sanctuary in the Sky is in play then I can destroy a card. I now draw a card thanks to Artemis. Now back to the original plan. Artemis and Meltiel! Attack Ryusei directly!"

Ryusei held his arms up to protect himself from the attacks and went down to one knee in the aftermath.

LP (5000/800)

The crowd were astounded by the heavy Life Point drop on Ryusei's side. Vanessa chuckled and took a card from her hand.

"I place one card face down and end my turn."

"My turn." Ryusei said. Ryusei drew Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. "I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (1800/700) in attack mode! I'll attack your Meltiel."

As Meltiel was destroyed by Kycoo's punch Vanessa just smiled knowing that she is obviously better than this guy and his win was a fluke.

"Due to my Sanctuary being on the field, I take no damage" Vanessa said happily.

"I'll set a card face down and end my turn."

"I'll then activate my Light of Judgement Trap!" Vanessa announced. "By discarding a LIGHT monster from my hand (Layard the Liberator) I can send a card from your field or hand to the Graveyard so I'll choose your hand!" A white cloud appeared in front of Ryusei's cards and it formed into a hand which selected his Cybernetic Magician and put it in the Graveyard. Vanessa smiled while Ryusei still look unmoved.

Shinji: ("He's still calm?! How can he be this way when he's about to lose?!")

"Don't look so sad. You lost to the better duellist. I draw!" Vanessa smiled as she saw that she drew one of her favourite cards. "I release my Bountiful Artemis to summon Airknight Parshath (1900/1400). Parshath, attack Ryusei directly!"

Vanessa: ("if his facedown is a Trap Card, then it's game over Ryusei.")

"I activate my face down, Enemy Controller!" Ryusei exclaimed which surprised Vanessa. "This card lets me switch your monster to defense mode."

"Whatever. I end my turn." Vanessa growled in frustration.

Ryusei stood still for a while with the crowd anticipating his next move. Ryusei drew his next card.

"I play Pot of Greed which allows mw to draw two cards." As he drew his two cards he realised he can turn this duel around. "I activate Heavy Storm!"

"NO!" Vanessa shouted

"Awesome! So all Spells and Traps are destroyed!" Shinji said.

A strong wind blew onto the field taking Vanessa's face down and her Field Spell with it. She growled in frustration while Ryusei prepared for his next move.

"I'll activate Monster Reborn so I can special summon a monster from the Graveyard like my Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000)! Cybernetic Magician, attack Airknight Parshath with Light Cyber Blast!" The Magician twirled his staff and fired a blast of white light vaporising Parshath. Vanessa looked in complete shock as her field was wiped out in one move as were the audience.

"I play one card face down. You're move." Ryusei stated.

Vanessa drew her card and got Harvest.

Vanessa: ("All right. I can come back next turn but I'm worried about his face downs. I could risk it and equip Bright Castle to my Harvest, taking out his Magician. However, one or both of his face-downs could destroy my monster costing me the duel. It would be better to play it safe.")

"I summon Harvest, the Angel of Wisdom (1800/1200) in defense mode and end my turn."

"Draw." Ryusei looked at this card and realised he's won. "I activate my face down Spell Card, Mind Control!"

"Mind Control?" Vanessa said in a surprised manner as she thought both his face downs were Traps.

"It allows me to take control of one monster on your side of the field but I cannot release it or attack with it." Ryusei proclaimed.

"Then what's the point of doing that?" Vanessa asked.

"I activate United We Stand to equip to my Cybernetic Magician, and he gains 800 ATK for each monster I control." Ryusei stated.

"So that's why he played Mind Control. With 2 monsters on his side, his monster a 1600 attack point boost!" Shinji said.

"Cybernetic Magician (4000/1000) will attack you directly!"

"So what if I lose some points. I'll come back next turn!" Vanessa said angrily

"Don't be so sure" Ryusei replied. Vanessa was confused as was the rest of the crowd.

"Go Trap Card, Magician's Circle! This forces both players to Special Summon a Spellcaster from our Decks in attack mode, as long it has less than 2000 ATK points."

"But I don't have any Spellcasters in my Deck." Vanessa said worryingly.

"But I do, like my Magician's Valkyria (1600/1800)." At that point Vanessa sighed as she realised she was about to lose.

"Cybernetic Magician and Magician's Valkyria will wage a double direct attack!"

Two beams of lights came from the monsters and hit Vanessa one after the other. She went down to her hands and knees after the attacks went through.

LP (0/800)

The crowd applauded the duel before dispersing while Shinji went up to Ryusei and said

"Great win! That was awesome how you pulled that last turn!"

Ryusei walked up to Vanessa who was still down on her hands and knees.

"How did I lose this duel?" Vanessa asked herself quietly.

"It's simple" Ryusei answered. Vanessa looked up to see him standing above her with the sun shining on him, depicting him in a heroic manner. "You were duelling for the wrong reasons."

Vanessa looked confused,

"The wrong reasons?" she asked.

"You were duelling to show off how great your Deck is. Counter Fairies are an expensive deck to create and you were using that as the base of your skill. The fact is that a Deck is only as strong as the duellist who uses it. Having belief in all of the cards you used to make the Deck is what makes you and your Deck strong, whether it is worth thousands or worth nothing."

Vanessa looked down as she was ashamed, due to there being an element of truth to what Ryusei said. Ryusei then offered his hand. Vanessa was surprised but she took his hand and he helped her up.

"Good duel Vanessa." Ryusei said as he stretched his hand. Vanessa smiled and said

"Great duel Ryusei!" as she shook his hand. As the three of them were walking back to the dormitory Vanessa was thinking deeply.

Vanessa: ("Ryusei. There is something else about this guy, and what did he mean by the right reasons to duel? I guess I won't find out now but I'll find out soon enough. Until then, I will get stronger so I can challenge him again and this time, I will win.")

It was evening at the Domino South dormitory and Hayate was in his room making notes on product branding when his cell phone rang.

"What's up?" Hayate answered.

"Have you made a decision yet?"

"I've got no choice but to cut him loose." Hayate replied

"Are you sure? He is you're cousin?"

Hayate sighed and replied "As leader I have to protect the image of our dorm and another screw up like that can severely damage our reputation."

"So what are you suggesting?"

"Tell Yuri to come see me tomorrow morning." Hayate said before hanging up.

Preview: Hayate tells Yuri to find the guy who beat him and take vengeance. However if he loses then he will be removed from Hayate's inner circle. Yuri therefore storms to Domino East to challenge Ryusei to a rematch but Shinji steps in and challenges Yuri to get his pride back.

Chapter 3-Prideful Heart Of A Warrior!


	3. Chapter 3 Prideful Heart Of A Warrior!

Location: Domino South Dorm

It was early morning, around 6.30am. A young man was standing outside the dorm. He had a fearful expression like he was walking towards his execution. Despite feeling daunted the man gulped, walked up the steps and went inside.

Nobody was inside the front room as most of the students were sleeping at this time. He walked to the back of the room, turned left past the kitchen and knocked on the door.

"Come in" a voice said.

The man entered the room and saw a table with five people sitting around it. At the head of the table was Hayate.

"Welcome Yuri." Hayate said.

"W-What's up Hai?" Yuri replied nervously. "Is this a meeting or something?"

"You can say that. The main reason you're here is that I need to talk to you about something."

"What do you need to talk to me about?" Yuri asked.

"I think you know"

The rest of the table looked sternly at Yuri giving the message that he should know.

"Look man." Yuri said "I screwed up bad, I know that, but it was a fluke win! I controlled the duel from the start…"

"Therefore, you should have finished it." Hayate calmly interrupted.

At that point Yuri realised that he's in more trouble than he thought. Hayate sighed and then got up and walked towards Yuri.

"Look, I don't expect you to win every duel. That's near impossible. However, when you lose to some random nobody, I have to take action. Our Dorm currently is the best at the moment, I'm the best at the moment and I have to remove anyone who's a threat to our reputation. So the rest of the people here want you out of the circle."

Yuri was surprised and replied. "You are going to kick me out?! After one mistake! Come on Hai, I know I messed up bad, but I can fix this!"

"You should really let me finish." Hayate said

"Sorry"

"Even though everyone wants you out, I'm not going to be that hasty. I'm gonna give you another chance."

"You are?" Yuri asked in an astonishing manner while the rest of the table were astounded by the decision.

"You are my cousin, Yuri" Hayate said while putting his hand on Yuri's shoulder. "And I never abandon family; however, you only get one chance and one chance only"

"Tell me what I have to do!" Yuri said passionately.

"Find the guy who beat you and take vengeance!"

**Chapter 3-Prideful Heart Of A Warrior**

Location: Domino East Dorm

It was a few days later. At the Domino East Dorm Vanessa was in room 42 with Ryusei and Shinji. They were sitting on the floor in a circle with a map of the different dorms and buildings around the University.

"What is this for?" Ryusei asked.

"It's to help with my explanation, the one I promised to give you after our duel remember?" Vanessa answered.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that" Shinji stated.

"Okay! To put it in very simple terms there are 5 dorms at the University, Domino North, South, East, West and Central. Each Dorm as someone called a Duel Leader. Now a Duel Leader is someone who is basically the best duellist of the Dorm. They also are the usual suspects you see in university competitions, national tournaments etc. Usually they are 2nd year students, but last year all the Duel Leaders were 1st years, which proves their strength."

"So 5 Dorms and each Dorm, have a Duel Leader right?" Ryusei asked.

"Yeah, that's right" Shinji responded.

"So who is ours?"

"Truth is we don't have a Duel Leader, well, we have an _unofficial_ Duel Leader." Vanessa answered.

"An unofficial Duel Leader?" Ryusei asked

"What is that?" Shinji followed on with interest.

"Well, to be a Duel Leader you have to publicly challenge the current Leader to a match duel, you know, best out of 3 duels and the winner is then announced Duel Leader."

"That doesn't answer our question." Ryusei interrupted.

"Hold on! I'm getting there!" Vanessa snapped back. "Anyway the current Duel Leader or whatever is Kazuma Oguro."

"Never heard of him" Shinji said.

"Well he comes in and out from time to time. It helps when you have your own place to live instead of a dorm. Anyway he's a nice guy, friendly, quite wise also. But he is very strong, he'll probably duel circles around you Ryusei" Vanessa said smiling. Ryusei wasn't amused and had no response.

"I swear you have no sense of humour." Vanessa groaned.

"Back on topic, why is Kazuma the unofficial Duel Leader?" Shinji asked.

"He was best friends with the previous Duel Leader. They used to Duel all the time but never officially for the title. However, they were more or less evenly matched until he went to study abroad for a year. Since then, no-one challenged Kazuma and it was accepted for him to be Duel Leader."

"Not even one person challenged him?" Ryusei asked.

"No. See this dorm; Domino East is not all big on the duelling side of things. Students here would rather focus more on their degrees and other things. So it's safe to say when it comes to duelling in competitions our dorm is the bottom of the barrel." Vanessa stated. "This brings me to my next point."

"Ryusei's victory over Yuri!" Shinji said.

"Yep. Domino South's Leader Hayate, is the current university champion so his dorm is known as the best. The fact that you, someone from 'East' have beaten one of Hayate's elite in 'South' as caused a stir in their dorm, and that's the end of the lesson, any more questions students?" Vanessa joked.

"Yeah actually, two more, do you know who the other leaders are, and how do you know all this stuff?" Shinji asked.

"I only know Kazuma and Hayate; I have no clue as to who the other Duel Leaders are. As for your 2nd question, I went out a lot during the first week of uni. It's amazing what you can learn if you just buy people a few drinks." Vanessa said smiling.

"Anyway we should be heading out; the ISD lecture will be on soon." Ryusei stated.

"Yeah your right." Shinji said.

"I'll walk with you; I got to meet a friend at the main building anyway." Vanessa said.

The trio went out of the room and downstairs. They went out of the dorm and headed towards the University main building. They were walking through the soccer field chatting away when they noticed a group of people looking at them sternly. Shinji recognised immediately that they were the guys from before. Then the group parted ways and Yuri walked through the middle of them to the front and said.

"I've finally found you!"

Ryusei and Yuri eyes were locked in a battle of stares before Ryusei broke the silence.

"What do you want?"

"I think you know" Yuri said.

"Enlighten me."

Yuri got angry and shouted "PAYBACK! Payback for what you did to me that day! Making me lose in front of my friends, to be the laughing stock of the dorm! I want payback for all of it!"

"So you want to duel me for revenge, is that it?" Ryusei asked, "If that's the case then I'm not interested."

Yuri walked up to Ryusei until he was face-to-face with him and said "You make it sound like I'm giving you a choice."

"So you're gonna make me duel?" Ryusei replied.

"Yeah, Maybe I am."

"Okay, this macho behaviour ain't really gonna get us anywhere." Vanessa interrupted.

"Stay out of it!" Yuri snapped. "You and me, let's go, now!"

"From your tone it sounds like you want to fight more than a duel." Ryusei said

"Whichever works for you? Mr. Big Shot"

As the situation was getting heated Shinji then stepped in between the two saying "Enough already!"

"Back off shorty! Leave this conversation to the grown ups!" Yuri said.

Ryusei moved forward to defend his friend but Shinji held his hand out signalling Ryusei not to come forward. Shinji then looked at Yuri and said.

"I'll duel you!"

Everyone was surprised by Shinji's statement but Yuri wasn't impressed.

"Look little dude, I don't even know you so I'm not interested in you."

Shinji became annoyed due to the fact that Yuri doesn't remember him, especially after the torment he put him through the first time they met.

"We are definitely duelling!" Shinji replied. "If I win you lot have to go and never bother us again!"

"What's in it for me?" Yuri said

"Well if you win, I'll let you duel Ryusei of course." Shinji responded.

"Not good enough. I'll just be wasting my time so how about I'll take your Deck instead."

"What? Shinji, you can't accept this!" Vanessa said clearly agitated from the fact that Shinji could lose his Deck as well as himself as a duellist.

"I….accept!" Shinji said.

Yuri chuckled. "It's your funeral little man."

Yuri walked to his side and Shinji was about to walk to his until Ryusei stood in front of him. "Are you sure about this Shinji?"

"Listen Ryusei, despite me being grateful that you helped me that night. My pride was taking away from me as I was so helpless, so weak, and depended on you to save me. This is an opportunity to get my pride back, to prove to myself that I am more than capable of becoming a good duellist!"

"I understand." Ryusei answered "Just remember what I told you."

Shinji nodded in agreement. He got his Duel Disk out of his bag put it on and inserted his Deck in.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Yuri asked as he put his Deck in his Duel Disk.

"More than anything" Shinji replied as they then both said,

"Duel!"

(Shinji-4000/Yuri-4000)

"You go first little guy" Yuri said mockingly

"I have a name and it's Shinji!" he replied as he drew his first card. "I summon Marauding Captain (1200/400) in attack mode, and when he's summoned, I can Special Summon another Level 4 or lower monster from my hand like Command Knight (1200/1900) in defense mode!"

Yuri looked disinterested which irritated Shinji. So he forcefully continued to get his attention.

"Thanks to my Knight's ability, all Warriors get a 400 ATK point boost! (Marauding: 1600/400, Command: 1600/1900) Finally I'll equip my Captain with Mage Power to give it another 500 points (2100/400). I end my turn."

"You finished your turn now? About time." Yuri said sarcastically.

He drew his card and said,

"First I'll activate Pot of Greed which let's me draw two cards and then summon X-Head Cannon (1800/1500). Then by activating the Spell Frontline Base I can use its effect to summon Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600). Now its fusion time as I merge my two machines to form XY-Dragon Cannon (2200/1900)!"

Shinji: ("No! it's stronger than my Captain!")

Yuri smiled and then declared his attack to Marauding Captain destroying it instantly.

LP (3900/4000)

"Next I play three face-downs and activate Mirage of Nightmare! So in your Standby Phase I get to draw four cards but in my Standby Phase I have to discard four, your turn."

Shinji: (Come on! I can do this!)

"My turn"

"Before you continue my Mirage allows me to draw 4 cards" Yuri interrupted. "But before you make a fuss about the other effect I'll activate my face-down Emergency Provisions giving me 1000 Life Points for every Spell or Trap I send to the Graveyard so Mirage says later and I get rewarded."

LP (3900/5000)

"Carry on."

Shinji was getting a bit agitated but nevertheless pressed on with his turn.

"I equip Command Knight with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade, giving her 800 extra ATK (2400/1900)! I switch it to attack mode and have her attack you're Dragon Cannon!" Command Knight glided forward about to slash XY but Yuri had something to say.

"I activate my face-downs! De-Fusion and Burial From A Different Dimension! Burial takes my two monsters that were removed from play and brings them back to the Graveyard, and then my De-Fusion splits my XY back to its original form!" He smirked.

X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) and Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600) appeared on the field both in defense mode which annoyed Shinji.

"Command Knight attacks X-Head Cannon!" Shinji shouted. Command Knight slashed X-Head Cannon in half and it exploded.

"I'll play one card face-down and end my turn"

"My turn now, first some rebirth action courtesy of Monster Reborn, so X-Head Cannon comes back. Next due to Frontline Base I special summon Z-Metal Tank."

Shinji: ("He's got all 3 machines now!")

"I think you know what's coming next." Yuri smirked. "I fuse my three machines to create XYZ Dragon Cannon (2800/2600)!"

The three machines split apart and then joined together once again to create the monster.

"I now discard a card (Blue Thunder) to use my XYZ's effect to destroy a card you control like you're Knight." XYZ lifted its lasers and blasted Command Knight to oblivion.

"This time you've helped me!" Shinji replied "I activate my face-down Soul Rope, so by paying 1000 Life Points I can Special Summon a Level 4 monster from my Deck so come forth Warrior Lady Of The Wasteland (1100/1200) in defense mode!"

LP (2900/5000)

"Whatever. XYZ attacks your monster!" Yuri declared. The monster raised its cannons and fired beams, instantly shattering the female warrior.

"Well now I can use my Lady's effect. She allows me to Special Summon an EARTH-Warrior monster from my Deck with 1500ATK or less like my Exiled Force (1000/1000)!"

"I'm not impressed but anyway, I'll just play my Spell, Future Fusion."

"Future Fusion?" Shinji questioned. "But XYs can't be fused by that!"

"Maybe you should have considered that I have more than those types of fusions. Barrel Dragon and Blowback Dragon get sent to the Graveyard and in two turns, I get my Gatling Dragon, your turn."

Shinji: ("I have to finish this in two turns!")

"Draw! I will use my Exiled Force's effect and release it to destroy a monster you control like your Dragon Cannon!" Exiled Force turned bright yellow before disintegrating which then caused XYZ to explode.

"I summon my Armed Samurai-Ben Kei (500/800) in attack mode and equip him with my United We Stand. Now my Samurai gains 800 ATK for each monster I control (1300/800). Ben Kei, attack!" Ben Kei threw one of his spears and slashed Yuri but it didn't bother him.

"Is that all?"

LP: (2900/3700)

"No actually," Shinji replied. "My Samurai has an effect which allows it to attack a number of times equal to the number of equip cards on him, so he has one more attack!"

"What the…"

Before Yuri can finish Ben-Kei jumped in the air and threw his 2nd spear which went through Yuji.

LP: (2900/2400)

"Well done Shinji!" Vanessa shouted, while Yuri looked at him sternly.

Ryusei: ("Good work Shinji, but don't let your guard down.")

"I end my turn."

"Lucky punk!" Yuri said while drawing. "I play Graceful Charity so I draw 3 cards and then discard 2 (Polymerization, W-Wing Catapult) and then play Hammer Shot which destroys your Ben-Kei!" A huge Hammer came from the sky flattening Ben-Kei. Shinji growled at what happened.

"Next I play a face-down and end my turn."

Shinji drew his card hoping to get something good but it was Iron Blacksmith Kotesu. "I set a monster face-down and end my turn."

"Is that it? A shame, I expected better from you short stuff." Yuri mocked. As he drew his card he smiled and his crew actually cheered for the first time, with Vanessa worried and Ryusei unmoved due to what's coming next.

"It's my 2nd Standby Phase now so that means my Gatling Dragon (2600/1200) can finally appear!" As Yuri's monster was summoned, Shinji was looking nervous, almost sweating as he knows of Gatling's capability.

"Gatling's effect allows me to toss a coin 3 times and I can destroy a number of monsters equal to number of heads I get."

Shinji froze, thinking that if Yuri gets 1 head he is wide open.

"Let's find out what fate has in store for you." Yuri said as he got a coin out of his pocket. 1st toss= Tails, 2nd toss=Heads, 3rd toss=Tails.

"1 Head, just what I needed." Yuri smirked as Gatling Dragon fired bullets which shattered Shinji's face-down monster.

"Oh no." Vanessa said quietly while Ryusei looked on unconcerned.

"Gatling Dragon, direct attack!" This time Gatling Dragon fired dark blue lasers which engulfed Shinji. He dropped to one knee.

"Shinji!" Vanessa said worryingly.

LP (300/2400)

Yuri smiled and his crew were cheering. "I play a card face-down and end my turn."

Shinji was sweating as he was in a major predicament. Vanessa was looking worried for Shinji. Yuri was smiling and said.

"I was right in thinking that this was a waste of my time, at least I'll get a Deck out of it, and then I'm coming for you!" Yuri said pointing at Ryusei.

"I won't let you!" Shinji answered back

"What can you do? You tried to be the hero and look at what's happening now! How can you protect someone if you can't even protect yourself? If anything you should just surrender now."

Shinji: (Maybe he's right. How can I win this? I've only got Double Summon in my hand, and I'm up against a monster with 2600 ATK and it destroys anything I put down with a single coin toss! I was foolish in thinking I can get my pride back, that I can beat someone like Yuri.")

Ryusei still expressed no emotion but inside he was deeply concerned

Ryusei: ("Come on Shinji! You can do this! Just remember what I told you!")

Shinji: ("I wonder what will Ryusei would do in this situation. Wait a sec!")

_**Flashback**_

_**SHINJI-"Thank you for saving me. Not many people would have done what you did."**_

_**RYUSEI-"No problem"**_

_**SHINJI-"But I want to know something, how did you remain calm like that? And how did you know you were going to win?"**_

_**RYUSEI-"I always believe in myself and my deck to get me out of any situation. As someone told me before. Have faith in yourself and your ability and then you can do anything."**_

Shinji: ("I can do this! I just gotta believe I can! I believe I can!")

With a new found resolve Shinji drew his card. "I play Pot of Greed which allows me to draw 2 cards." Shinji drew his 2 cards and couldn't believe his luck as he drew the cards that could at least buy him one more turn. "I can't believe it worked!" he whispered

"What are you muttering?" Yuri said annoyingly

"Err, nothing. Anyway I summon Warrior Lady Of The Wasteland (1100/1200) in attack mode and set a card face-down, that's it."

"That's it? That's all?" Vanessa shouted.

"Calm down, Vanessa" Ryusei said "Just trust that he knows what he's doing."

"You don't know what you're doing do you?" Yuri said. "Anyway I draw." Despite his confidence Yuri was slightly concerned about Shinji's face-down and why he left his Warrior Lady in attack mode like that. So he decided to cover his bases.

"I activate my face down, Reckless Greed so I draw two more cards and then activate my Gatling's ability, time for the triple coin toss."

Shinji was sweating as this coin toss determines the duel.

1st toss=Tails, 2nd toss=Tails, Yuri tossed for the 3rd time. Shinji's heart was pounding, almost exploding out of his chest. Vanessa looked very worried; Yuri's crew watched expecting a head while Ryusei was still expressionless. 3rd toss=Tails. Both Vanessa and Shinji breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"A shame but it doesn't really matter as I activate the Spell Scrapyard Shield! By removing two Machine-Type monsters from play (Blue Thunder, W-Wing) my Gatling Dragon is unaffected by all Spells and Traps on your side until the end of the next turn."

Vanessa gasped thinking that Shinji now has no defense. Yuri's gang were celebrating victory and Yuri just smiled and said.

"Don't feel bad kid, you lost to the better duellist. Gatling Dragon, end this!" the Dragon fired large twin lasers at Shinji's Warrior Lady.

"SHINJI!" Vanessa shouted.

"I activate my face-down!" Shinji declared

"Spells and Traps don't affect my Dragon."

"It's not for you." Yuri looked confused until he saw the trap that was activated

"Ready For Intercepting?!" Yuri shouted.

"Yep, now I can select a Warrior monster on the field and flip it to face-down defense!" Shinji said smiling. Yuri's mouth was wide open, basically speechless as Warrior Lady was flipped face-down and the laser hit it and destroyed it.

"Since it was in defense my Life Points are safe and my lady allows me to Special Summon an EARTH-Warrior monster from my Deck with 1500ATK or less such as my D.D. Warrior (1200/1200)."

Vanessa cheered while Yuri and his crew were stunned; Ryusei broke a smile for appreciation of the play Shinji made.

Yuri growled in frustration "It doesn't matter; you will still lose! I end my turn!"

Shinji: ("Just carry on believing, Shinji, you can win this!")

"My turn and I activate Pot of Avarice! By returning 5 monsters from my Graveyard (Marauding Captain, Command Knight, Exiled Force, Ben-Kei, and Warrior Lady Of The Wasteland) to my Deck, I can shuffle and then draw 2 cards!" Shinji drew his two cards and smiled.

"I next summon Mataza the Zapper (1300/800) in attack mode and then play the Spell, Double Summon so I can Normal Summon one more time this turn."

Yuri growled in frustration.

"So I release my two monsters so I can summon Gilford the Legend (2600/2000)!" A muscle bound warrior with a black mask and red hair and a cape appeared.

"When he's summoned, I get to take all the Equip Spells out of my Graveyard and equip them to Warrior monsters."

"What?!" Yuri exclaimed as he saw United We Stand, Mage Power and Fusion Sword all going to Gilford's sword giving him a total of 5700 ATK.

"5700?!"

"Whoa…" Vanessa said in awe.

"GO, Gilford The Legend! Attack Gatling Dragon! Justice Slash!"

"NOOOO!" Yuri shouted as Gilford jumped in the air holding his huge sword representing all the power he has within him and slashed Gatling Dragon in half causing a huge explosion. As the smoke cleared Yuri fell to his knees.

LP: (300/0)

"I won," Shinji said in disbelief "I WON!" he said again.

"Way to go Shinji!" Vanessa celebrated as she ran to him and hugged him.

"Thanks." Shinji said.

Ryusei walked up to Shinji and high-fived him.

"Good work Shinji" he said smiling "Do you have your pride back now?"

"Yeah. I think I do, but I will have to celebrate later because we are late." Shinji said. Both of them ran off with Vanessa following while Yuri's crew left him alone on the field. Yuri was still on his knees looking at the ground wondering how, what and why until late evening when he finally got up and walked.

In the Domino South Dorm, Hayate was in his room on his laptop searching for something on the internet when he got a phone call.

"Yeah," He answered in an irritated fashion.

"Have you heard?" the guy said.

"Of course I heard, and he's been cut loose, well when I see him I will." Hayate responded.

"What are you doing now?"

"Now I'm going to do some damage limitation on our rep. When you want a good job done you do it yourself."

"Meaning?" the guy asked. Hayate stopped searching when he found what he was looking for. The screen showed Ryusei's photo and a student profile of him.

"It means I'm gonna take care of this son of a bitch myself."

Preview: The gang and a few others have a soccer match where the ball is booted far away. Ryusei goes to get the ball and meets a girl called Ayaka. She becomes very intrigued by Ryusei and challenges him to a duel, unbeknownst to him who she truly is.

Chapter 4- A Duel With Mother Nature!

ORIGINAL CARDS

Scrapyard Shield!

Normal Spell

Select 1 Machine-Type monster you control. By removing from play 2 Machine-Type monsters in your Graveyard the selected monster is unaffected by you're opponent's Spells and Traps until the end of the next turn.


	4. Chapter 4 A Duel With Mother Nature!

Location: Domino East Dorm

It was late evening and while Ryusei was lying in bed reading a text book on Software Systems, Shinji was looking through Ryusei's deck.

"You're Deck is pretty cool Ryusei, but you gotta change a couple of things. It's a bit outdated." Shinji said

"Like what?" Ryusei asked disinterested as he turned a page.

"You should add some Tuners and Synchro Monsters."

"Tuners and what Monsters?" Ryusei asked, sitting up from a bed now taking an interest.

"Synchro Monsters, you never heard of them?!" Shinji asked in a surprising manner. Ryusei just looked at him which gave Shinji his answer.

Shinji sighed and pulled a box from under his bed. It contained past issues of Duel Monster magazines. He rifled through them and pulled one out from two months ago. He flicked through the pages until he found what he was looking for and showed it to Ryusei.

"Tuners and Synchros are the new thing in duelling; nowadays most people have them in their Decks as they add a new dimension to duelling. Even I have some." Shinji went to his Deck pouch and pulled out copies of Nitro Warrior and Colossal Fighter and showed them to Ryusei. Ryusei took the two cards and studied them.

"Hmm. They are pretty handy, for you anyway, but how would you summon them?"

"Easy, you take a Tuner monster like this" Shinji showed him Nitro Synchron, "and then when you have a monster or monsters on the field that is an equal level to a Synchro Monster you have, you send them to the Graveyard to summon the Synchro monster. For example Nitro Synchron is level 2, and my Freed The Matchless General is level 5. So I would send them from my field to the Graveyard to do a level 7 Synchro Monster like Nitro Warrior!"

"Fair enough" Ryusei said "Would be nice to have a few."

"So you're gonna get some?" Shinji asked with glee.

"Are there any Spellcaster Synchro monsters?" Ryusei asked.

"Not that I know of." Shinji answered quietly.

"Then no." he answered as he gave the cards back and went back to his text book lying in bed. Shinji growled a little in annoyance.

**Chapter 4-A Duel with Mother Nature!**

It was mid afternoon on the next day. The day was generally clouded with outbreaks of sunshine here and there. Yuri was walking around the town centre of Domino with his head down. People were barging into him as he wasn't looking at where he was going. Some apologised, some abused him, and some didn't care. He walked into a bar and sat down, presenting his ID and ordering a beer. As he was drinking away he didn't notice that someone sat next to him to his left.

"Drinking in the middle of the day? Not exactly healthy is it?" a voice said.

Yuri turned to his left and noticed it was Hayate. "Then again, I'm not surprised after you've been avoiding me for the last few days."

"Hayate. Look man, I…"

"Save it. This time you royally screwed up!" Hayate said clearly annoyed. "It wasn't even the guy you lost to the first time! But his little friend?!"

Yuri hanged his head in shame in realisation of what he has done. Hayate sighed and said "I know you're my cousin but this one I can't let go."

"But…"

"No buts about it!"

"Screw you man!" Yuri said in anger. Hayate grabbed Yuri's shirt and brought him closer to his face and said,

"Screw me?! I stuck my neck out for you when everyone else wanted you out! I went against my best friend's advice to kick you out first time because you were family! So don't tell me to screw myself!" Hayate let go of Yuri who then regretted his earlier actions.

"I'm sorry" Yuri said "I really am. I don't even know what happened that day? I had it…and then I lost it." Yuri took another swig before Hayate sighed and said calmly.

"Look, I've got no choice this time. I have to remove you from the circle." Yuri accepted the decision by nodding his head. Hayate put his arm across Yuri's back and continued,

"This doesn't mean I'll leave you behind though. One thing I've been taught well is that family is the most important thing you can have so I'll always be here for you. Plus your mum makes some legendary ramen!" Both chuckled from the last comment Hayate made.

"So, we cool?" Yuri nodded his head to answer yes. Hayate patted him on the back and walked out of the bar. He took out his phone and made a call to someone. The man wearing a beige shirt and jeans from before answered the phone. His Student ID read "Tasuku Miyamoto-Domino South"

"Yeah?" Tasuku answered.

"It's done now. Where are we in finding this Ryusei kid?" Hayate replied.

"The word is out; I'll let you know when we find him."

"Good." Hayate answered as he hanged up the phone.

At the football field, Vanessa, Shinji and about 10 other guys were having a 6-a-side football match. Ryusei was sitting on the field off the pitch, carrying on the reading he was doing last night. As the ball was down the other end Shinji ran across to Ryusei and asked him,

"Aren't you gonna join in Ryusei?"

"I'll join in when I've finished this chapter."

"How many more pages?"

"6."

Shinji just groaned and said while running back on the field "You take this too seriously, you gotta relax sometime!"

Back to the match Vanessa received the ball at the left wing and sprinted down the line. She jumped over a tackle that came across and looked in the penalty area and saw a team-mate there. She crossed it into the box which the defender only half cleared. The ball bounced on the edge of the box and Shinji came charging forward. Vanessa and her team-mates watched in anticipation as they expected Shinji to smash it in the net but he lent back when shooting and the ball went sky-high over the bar.

"SHINJI!" Vanessa shouted as she sprinted towards him and grabbed him "WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Shinji scratched the back of the head and said while chuckling nervously

"Erm, miss-timed shot?"

Vanessa growled at him before realising that the ball went quite a distance, so she pointed towards the direction of the ball for Shinji to go and get it.

"Don't worry, we've got another ball." one of the players said.

"Well someone still has to go and get my one!" Vanessa said looking sternly at Shinji.

"I'll go get it." Vanessa turned to see it was Ryusei who said that. "I needed to stretch my legs anyway." Ryusei picked up his bag and went in the direction of where the ball went.

Elsewhere there was a greenhouse. It was filled with many different pots of plants and flowers on the shelves and vegetable patches on the ground. A girl was standing in front of the shelves, watering the plants. She was average height with crimson hair down to her shoulder, and wore oval shaped glasses over her crimson eyes. She wore a red dress decorated with different sized pink flowers and red heeled shoes. She was humming a gentle tune when suddenly a football came in the greenhouse. It bounced and was about to land on a vegetable patch when the girl, without looking stuck a hand out and caught the ball. She put it down gently on the ground, away from the patches and continued her watering.

A few minutes later Ryusei was walking by when he saw the greenhouse. As he went closer he noticed the ball inside so he went stood in the doorway. He then noticed the girl watering the plants and the ball was behind her. She stopped her watering and turned to see Ryusei at the doorway.

"Hey." The girl said softly.

"Hey." Ryusei replied.

"So who are you?" she asked.

"Someone, who needs that ball back,"

The girl smiled and was intrigued by the way he answered that question. She walked slowly up to him. She then took closer looks at him and circled around him making Ryusei feel a little uncomfortable.

"I've never seen you before. Why is that?" she asked softly.

"I started late this semester." Ryusei answered. The girl stopped her circling and stood in front of him.

"That explains it." She said "I volunteer to help with the first week for sign-ups, registration, touring, etcetera, etcetera. Anyway where are you from?"

"Originally Tokyo, but moved to Osaka and then, Domino." Ryusei answered cautiously "Why?"

"Just curious," She answered while walking away, picking up her watering can and continued watering the few remaining plants. "Why did you move?"

"Long story."

"I've got time."

"Yeah, well it's longer than the time you've got." Ryusei said defensively.

The girl realised then she touched a sensitive spot. So she finished watering her plants quickly and walked back to Ryusei, and tried to get the conversation back on track.

"I'm Ayaka" the girl said pleasantly while offering her hand.

"Ryusei" he responded as he gently shook her hand.

"Sorry to be a bit forceful but can I have the ball back please?"

"You can…if you duel me first." She responded.

"Come again?"

"I have a strange habit of wanting to know as much as I can about a person and duelling is one way I suppose of knowing how a person is." Ryusei was uncertain by her comment so she continued her persuasion.

"Come on, it's a win-win situation. I get to know you, and you get your ball back over a friendly game of cards." She said smiling.

Ryusei sighed but accepted the request by taking out his Duel Disk from his bag and standing outside. Ayaka then joined him in a minute with her own Duel Disk. Both players inserted their Decks in their Disks and shouted "Duel!"

LP (Ayaka-4000/Ryusei-4000)

"Do you mind if I go first?" Ayaka asked.

Ryusei kept silent and was instead concentrating on the move she would make. "I'll take that as a yes" she said as she drew her card.

"I play Foolish Burial so I can send a monster from my Deck to the Graveyard (Gigaplant). I next play Swing of Memories. This Spell allows me to Special Summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard like my Gigaplant (2400/1200) in attack mode." She gently took the card from the Graveyard and placed it on the Duel Disk in one smooth motion.

Ryusei: ("A Gemini monster.")

"Next I Normal Summon my Gigaplant so it now becomes an Effect Monster." A blue light surrounded Gigaplant and then disappeared displaying the change from Normal to Effect Monster. "I now activate Gigaplant's effect allowing me to Special Summon a Plant-Type monster from my hand such as Lonefire Blossom (500/1400) in defense mode" again in a fluid motion she took the card from her hand and placed it gently on her Duel Disk.

"Next I use my Blossom's effect. I can release a Plant monster to Special Summon a Plant monster from my Deck. So I release Gigaplant to summon Regenerating Rose (0/1500) in attack mode. I play a card face-down and end my turn."

Ryusei: (She duels elegantly; taking care of her cards like each one of them was a real plant, a flower. It also seems that her Blossom is a key card despite leaving herself open with her Rose. With 0 ATK she must want me to destroy it, Okay.)

"My turn," Ryusei said while drawing. "I summon Maiden of Macabre (1700/0) in attack mode. My Maiden will attack your Lonefire Blossom!" the Maiden charged at Lonefire Blossom and slashed it with her axe. "When my Maiden destroys a monster by battle it gains a Spell Counter, increasing its attack by 200 per one." A small yellow ball of light appeared above the Maiden's head (1900/0).

"I play a card face-down and end my turn."

Ayaka: ("He's quite clever in not taking my bait. Oh well, I guess I'll have to do it myself.")

Back on the field, Vanessa had the ball and beat three players with her skill. She was one-on-one with the goalkeeper so she faked a shot committing the goalkeeper, went around him and slotted the ball into an empty net.

"And that's game!" she said. The score ended 5-3 in favour of Vanessa's team. As all the players shook hands and chatted Shinji went up to her and said

"You were pretty awesome Vanessa! But I have to ask how come you're so good?"

"I played a lot with my Dad and sometimes I used to come to training when he was managing back home." She answered

"He's managing a team here right?"

"Yeah, Gamba Osaka, they're doing okay this season." Vanessa replied. "Anyway, where is Ryusei, he's been gone ages and I want my ball back!"

"He has been gone a long time." Shinji said while looking at his watch.

"He probably got lost or something. Come on, let's just find him."

Back at the duel Ayaka had just drawn her card to begin her next turn.

"I'll have Regenerating Rose attack you're Maiden of Macabre."

"What?" Ryusei said as he was taken aback by the command. His maiden slashed the rose which destroyed it.

LP (2100/4000)

In the aftermath, two monsters which looked like mini Regenerating Roses (1200/1200) appeared.

Ryusei then looked serious and realised the plan.

"Those are tokens right?"

"When Regenerating Rose is destroyed by battle I get 2 Rose tokens on my side of the field. I will then release them to summon Tytannial, Princess of Camellias (2800/2600). I then play Seed of Deception which allows me to Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Plant monster from my hand like Cursed Fig (200/200) in attack mode. End turn."

"My turn and I play Enemy Controller. By releasing a monster on my side of the field I can take control of one of yours like your Tytannial." A giant joypad appeared and, a combination of buttons was pressed forcing Macabre to be released and Tytannial joining Ryusei's side.

"I didn't see that one coming." Ayaka said smiling.

"Tytannial attack Cursed Fig!" Ryusei announced.

"Unfortunately for you…" Ayaka said as she flipped her Trap. This surprised Ryusei as he thought her face-down was meant to destroy it. "I activate Dimension Wall, which forces you to take the Battle Damage this turn when you declare an attack." As Tytannial blew Cursed Fig away the wind changed direction and blasted Ryusei.

LP (2100/1400)

Ayaka smiled, while Ryusei recovered from the attack.

"Also I should mention when Cursed Fig is in the Graveyard after being destroyed by battle I can select 2 face-downs on your side and you cannot activate them." A mini-fig with a mouth appeared on top of Ryusei's face-down (Negate Attack).

"I summon Apprentice Magician (400/800) in defense mode and set a card face-down and end my turn." Tytannial returned to Ayaka's side of the field.

Ryusei: ("She's very good. Her style seems to be against the way her opponent's play. Since I'm aggressive she's inviting me on for attacks and countering them in a way that hugely benefits her.")

Vanessa and Shinji were walking around when they saw the duel going on nearby. At the same time a group of girls from the other side noticed the duel so all of them ran towards the area.

"Ryusei!" Vanessa and Shinji shouted.

"Aya!" the girls shouted.

As they arrived Ryusei and Ayaka turned to their respective friends and responded.

"What's going on here? I ask you get a ball and you're duelling?" Vanessa said in an irritated tone.

"Aya, Why are you duelling this guy?" one of the girls shouted.

"I needed to duel to get the ball back." Ryusei answered.

"Don't worry girls," Ayaka said "I challenged him. I know you're thinking why, and that I shouldn't duel before you guys but, he was…interesting." she said smiling.

"Who are you anyway?" Shinji asked.

"You don't know?!" one of the girls said angrily "This is the great Ayaka Uchiha, Duel Leader of Domino West!"

"A Duel Leader?" Shinji and Vanessa said in unison.

"Mina, you're embarrassing me!" Ayaka said while she slightly blushed.

"You're a Duel Leader then?" Ryusei asked.

"Guilty!" She answered while laughing nervously. Ryusei smiled at the fact this duel has become more interesting than he thought it would be.

"Anyway, Ayaka, it's your turn."

"There is no point of continuing. Every time Tytannial is summoned, Ayaka never loses!" One of the girls said. Ryusei didn't pay attention to the comments which annoyed the girls but Ayaka signalled them to calm down.

"My turn, I play Pot of Greed which lets me draw 2 cards and then play Monster Reborn on Lonefire Blossom (500/1400) in attack mode. Tytannial attack Apprentice Magician." The magician shattered to pieces.

"When my Apprentice is destroyed I can summon a Level 2 Spellcaster in face-down defense so I choose Old Vindictive Magician (450/600)!"

"Lonefire Blossom attack Ryusei's face-down." Ayaka declared.

"Why would she do that? It has less ATK than Ryusei's defending monster." Shinji asked

Ryusei's monster survived the attack and was flipped face-up.

LP: (2000/1400)

Ryusei then smiled as he announced "When my Old Vindictive Magician is flipped, I can destroy a monster on your side of the field so take out her Princess!"

"Sorry but I activate my Tytannial's effect! When you target a card with an effect I can release a Plant monster (Lonefire Blossom) to negate the effect and destroy the card!" Ayaka announced as Ryusei's monster was destroyed. "I set a monster face-down and end my turn"

"I draw," Ryusei declared "and I discard a card from my hand (Cybernetic Magician) to Special Summon The Tricky (2000/1200) from my hand! I then summon Magician's Valkyria (1600/1800). Tricky will attack your face-down monster!" the monster destroyed turned out to be Morphing Jar.

"When Morphing Jar is flipped we discard our entire hands and draw five new cards." Ayaka said.

As both players replenished their hands Ryusei declared his turn finished.

"My turn then!" Ayaka said while drawing "I summon Vampire Orchis (1700/1000) and when he is summoned I can special summon Des Dendle (300/2000) from my hand in defense. I then play the Spell, Fragrance Storm. By destroying a Plant monster like my Orchis I can draw a card." Orchis shattered as Ayaka drew her card. "Next up I play Seed of Deception again so I can Special Summon Tuner Monster-Nettles (1200/400) in attack mode."

"Wait a minute!" Ryusei said.

_**Flashback**_

_**SHINJI- "You should add some Tuners and Synchro Monsters."**_

_**RYUSEI- "Tuners and what Monsters?" **_

_**SHINJI-"Synchro Monsters, you never heard of them?! Tuners and Synchros are the new thing in duelling; nowadays most people have them in their Decks as they add a new dimension to duelling. Even I have some."**_

Ryusei: ("Is she gonna summon a Synchro Monster?")

"My Princess will attack Magician's Valkyria!" Tytannial shot out from her palms, thousands of flower petals which sliced through Valkyria, destroying it.

LP: (2000/200)

"Ryusei!" Vanessa shouted as Ayaka's friends enjoyed the fact that she was winning.

"I play two cards face-down, your move."

Ryusei drew his card and smiled.

"Before you do anything, I activate my face-down Battle Mania which forces you to attack this turn!"

The trap didn't bother Ryusei. He figured out that she wants him to attack Nettles, and that her face-down will probably switch it to Tytannial so she will win. So he continued his turn.

"I activate Monster Reborn to get Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000) back from the Graveyard. Next I use its ability to discard a card (Magical Marionette) and make one monster's ATK fixed at 2000! Limited Strength!" His magician shot a beam of light on Ayaka's Tytannial reducing her attack to 2000.

"I then play my Trap, Spell Book of Power! In my Main Phase I can remove 2 Spells from my Graveyard (Monster Reborn and Enemy Controller) to increase one monster's attack by 1000! (Cybernetic Magician-3400/1000) Cybernetic Magician, attack her Princess with Light Cyber Blast!"

A beam of light came from his staff enveloping Tytannial and destroying it. Ayaka put her hands up to protect herself.

LP: (600/200)

Everyone watching was completely shocked at the destruction of Ayaka's monster. Ayaka herself was stunned at the play Ryusei made.

"Tricky, attack Nettles!"

"Ryusei's won!" Vanessa and Shinji said with happiness.

"I don't think so!" Ayaka proclaimed "As I activate Urgent Tuning!"

"Urgent what?" Ryusei asked.

"Urgent Tuning, this can only be activated in a Battle Phase. It allows me to Synchro Summon a Synchro Monster. So I tune my level 2 Nettles with my level 4 Des Dendle!"

Nettles exploded into two bright stars which formed into two green rings. The rings descended onto Des Dendle which turned into 4 bright stars, and then a large pillar of light appeared behind Ayaka.

"Synchro Summon! Fully blossom, Queen of Thorns (2200/1800)!" A woman appeared wearing an outfit of leaves and thorns, with teethed plants as hands.

"Great." Ryusei said sarcastically.

"Now your Tricky is forced to attack my Queen due to Battle Mania!"

Tricky went to attack but got destroyed by multiple thorns shot out by Queen of Thorns. As Tricky was destroyed, Ryusei hanged his head.

LP: (600/0)

"Ryusei lost?" Shinji said completely shocked by the outcome.

"I told you he would lose!" Mina sneered.

Ryusei then lifted his head up and chuckled.

"I have to admit you got me there with your Synchro." He said while smiling.

"Well I'll have to say that move to take down my Tytannial was pretty good." Ayaka said smiling.

As the two were talking about their duel, the girls were confused while Vanessa got frustrated and ran in the greenhouse.

"What are you doing?" Shinji called out.

"I've waited all this time so I'm getting my ball back!" Vanessa replied.

Location: Domino South

Hayate just left the Dorm to get something to eat. But he got a phone call from Tasuku.

"What's up?"

"He's outside the greenhouse near Domino West." Tasuku said.

"Thanks"

"Also, it turns out he was duelling Ayaka and lost so he shouldn't be too tough."

"We'll see when we meet him."

Preview: Ryusei, Vanessa and Shinji are walking back to their Dorm after the duel and football match respectively where they bump into Hayate and his circle. Hayate challenges Ryusei to a duel in order to get respect for his Dorm and payback for Yuri. Ryusei reluctantly accepts the duel but struggles against Hayate's style of play and his Horus monsters.

Chapter 5-Newborn Rivalry! Ryusei vs. Hayate


	5. Chapter 5 Newborn Rivalry!

Location: Domino West

It was about ten minutes after the duel between Ayaka and Ryusei. The two of them were sitting outside the greenhouse talking about their duel and generally chatting. Vanessa was standing there with Shinji, spinning her ball on her finger. She stared in a confused manner at Ayaka and Ryusei. Shinji continuously looked at Vanessa and the other two before Vanessa stopped her ball spinning and broke the silence.

"They have been talking for ages!" Vanessa said in an annoyed fashion.

"It's only been ten minutes." Shinji replied.

"I know, but can you really talk for that long about a duel? I mean, he not like this when he's with us."

"Maybe he just finds it easy to talk to."

"And we're not?!"

"Well you are over-aggressive sometimes, and why are you so angry? Are you jealous of the two of them?"

Vanessa slapped the back of Shinji's head. When he recovered she slapped the back of his head again.

"The first one was for calling me aggressive! I prefer very competitive! The second one is for thinking I'm jealous of plant girl and Mr. Not-so-silent!" she said angrily.

"Okay! I'm sorry!" Shinji replied while rubbing the back of his head.

"So what have you learnt about me?" Ryusei asked.

Ayaka smiled and said cheekily "That's for me to know." Ryusei smiled and then stood up.

"I've gotta go now, my friends are waiting for me" he said. "However I will see you around." He stretched his hand expecting a handshake but Ayaka got up and then hugged him.

"Thanks for a great duel." Ayaka said.

"Err…thanks as well" Ryusei replied, surprised from Ayaka's actions.

As the two finished their embrace Ryusei walked towards his friends and Ayaka was walking to her friends deep in thought.

Ayaka: ("Ryusei. I can tell you're a virtuous person as you stand for what you believe in. It seems that you would protect the bonds you have with others no matter the cost. Hence why you're Cybernetic Magician is your ace card. His ability is very similar to yours in the protection of others. However, I feel…")

Something struck Ayaka's mind which disturbed her thoughts. She told her friends she forgot something and she that she will be back. She ran to the greenhouse, went inside and looked around. It seemed everything was normal and she was about to leave. However, she caught her eye on something. On the left shelf was a pot of full bloomed daisies but it was dark in the middle. She went closer to the pot and noticed in the middle was a dark coloured flower. She pulled it out and identified it as a black rose.

Ayaka: ("A black rose, this flower apparently is a warning of ill omens, coming to wherever it grows. But black roses don't grow anywhere near this area! Is something bad going to happen?")

**Chapter 5-Newborn Rivalry! Ryusei vs. Hayate!**

Ryusei and his friends were walking back towards their dorm where Shinji asked Ryusei "What's the deal between you and that girl?"

"Who, Ayaka?" Ryusei replied.

"Yeah, you two were talking for quite a while."

"What's the problem with that?"

"No offence Ryusei, but you are more of a strong, silent type" Vanessa intervened. "Seeing you talk like that was kind of abnormal for us."

A confused Ryusei looked at Vanessa. He was thinking is he really that non-talkative as they are saying he is. So he replied

"I guess…she was easy to talk to."

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked

"Well her personality was sort of charismatic."

"Charismatic?" Vanessa asked,

"Yeah, she talked in a way that makes you want to talk…if that makes sense."

"Actually no" Shinji answered.

"You'll understand when you talk to her."

The gang continued walking as the day approached early evening and the sun was just starting to set. As they reached the football field before their dorm they noticed a group of guys standing around.

"There he is!" one of the guys shouted out.

Ryusei and his friends stopped as the other group of guys stared at them in an angry fashion.

"Calm down guys, there's no need for trouble." A voice said.

The group settled and split apart to reveal a person in the middle. It was Hayate.

"Ryusei Fujiwara." Hayate said.

Ryusei turned his attention to Hayate as the two stared at each other before Hayate said. "I've been looking for you."

"Oh no." Vanessa whispered.

"What is it?" Shinji asked.

"That's Hayate Nakamura, Duel Leader of Domino South!" she proclaimed.

"That's Hayate?" Shinji said nervously.

"What do you want?" Ryusei asked, unmoved from the news he just heard.

Hayate took a few steps forward and answered.

"I used to think that you were some nobody who fluked a win against my cousin."

"Yuri's you're cousin?" Shinji asked. Hayate just ignored the question and moved on.

"Then I hear talk about some 1st year at Domino East shaking things up, including that victory. So I then thought maybe he's just got a bit of luck on his side."

Ryusei looked at Hayate in an unconcerned manner.

"However, then my cousin loses to your friend here which basically killed his spirit!" Hayate said pointing at Shinji. "So I thought maybe, just maybe, I should do something about him. Then finally I hear you were duelling Ayaka. A Duel Leader like, me, is very skilled. So then at that point I was 100% sure that this person is somebody, somebody I have to deal with myself."

"If this is another duel avenging defeat then don't bother asking because I won't duel you…besides, each person is responsible for his own self. If someone loses a battle he shouldn't run to someone else to fight for him."

The guys were getting annoyed before Tasuku signalled for them to calm down.

Hayate smiled at the comment and replied "I agree with you there. However I'm not gonna duel you for revenge, well a small part is revenge but not the main reason."

"Then why are you here?" Ryusei asked.

"Simple. I'm here to remove the competition."

Ryusei looked lost from that statement as did Vanessa and Shinji.

"What do you mean remove the competition?" Vanessa asked.

"Basically, this man has gone and damaged the reputation of our dorm. People don't see us as the best anymore and I'm here to fix that."

"How is a duel gonna fix that?" A puzzled Shinji asked.

"This talk about Ryusei is making him more famous by the day so…"

"A victory over me will shut the people up." Ryusei interrupted. "Then if they find out it was you who beat me your reputation would be repaired somewhat."

"You're catching on." Hayate replied. "So what's it going to be Ryusei? Do you accept? I mean if you win you'll be a bit more famous. If you lose then people stop talking but it won't exactly harm you. So you have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

Ryusei was thinking deeply about whether to accept. Bearing in mind he just had a long duel against Ayaka.

"I'm wouldn't be surprised if you don't accept." Hayate said "I mean, you narrowly beat Yuri, you lost to Ayaka and I'm stronger than both."

"Really?" Ryusei asked.

"I'm guessing you don't know I'm the current inter-dorm champion. I normally wouldn't waste my time duelling guys like you. But I want to duel you to prove to everybody that you are nothing more than a fluke."

"Don't do it Ryusei!" Vanessa exclaimed.

"You let you're girlfriend make the decisions for you?" Hayate asked Ryusei.

"I'm not his girlfriend!" Vanessa shouted angrily.

Ryusei signalled at Vanessa to calm down. He sighed and then said.

"To be honest I'm getting tired of Domino South. You lose a couple of duels and you all come out like you're avenging a fallen comrade. However, I feel that this isn't going to end unless this duel takes place, so let's duel!"

"Good luck, as you will need it." Hayate smirked.

The two grabbed their Duel Disks and put them on. As Ryusei shuffled his Deck, Hayate inserted his Deck into his Duel Disk. This automatically shuffled it for him. Ryusei wasn't bothered as he put his Deck in. both players drew their five cards and shouted "Duel!"

LP (Hayate-4000/Ryusei-4000)

"I prefer to go second so you're up East boy." Hayate sneered.

"My turn then!" Ryusei said as he drew his card.

Ryusei: ("Not much defense in my hand, but I gotta play it safe until I see what Deck he has.")

"I summon Maiden of Macabre (1700/0) in defense mode! I play a card face-down and end my turn."

"It has no defense points! Why did he play it in defense mode?" an agitated Shinji asked.

"He must have a reason, Shinji." Vanessa said.

Hayate smiled. "With moves like that this shouldn't take long" he said as he drew his card. "I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 (1600/1000) in attack mode!"

Ryusei: ("CRAP! He uses Horus monsters!")

"Horus monsters?!" Shinji said. "This is bad. Horus monsters negate Spells in which Spellcasters thrive on!"

Hayate smiled while Ryusei prepared himself for an attack.

"Hours LV4 attack Ryusei's Maiden with Black Mini-Flame!"

"Go Trap Card! Magic Cylinder!" Ryusei shouted as two pink cylinders appeared.

"This trap negates an attack and inflicts damage equal to the attacking monster's strength!" Horus' black fireball went into one cylinder and came out of the other hitting Hayate.

LP (2400/4000)

"Not bad. I play two face-downs and call it a turn."

Hayate: ("I have to win this!")

"My turn!" Ryusei declared. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600/100) in attack mode! When he's summoned it gets a Spell Counter on it increasing its strength by 300 (1900/1000)."

"So?" Hayate replied.

"So I'll activate Breaker's effect, removing the counter to take out one of you're face-downs!" Breaker jumped in the air and slashed a face-down in half (Level Down?!).

Ryusei: ("I shouldn't risk attacking because of his other face-down…no I can't back down!")

"I switch my Maiden to attack mode! Maiden, attack Horus!" Macabre slashed Horus in half with her axe.

LP (2300/4000)

Now Breaker! Attack Hayate directly." Breaker sprinted towards Hayate and slashed him across the chest.

LP (700/4000)

Vanessa and Shinji cheered but Hayate's group were unconcerned. Tasuku just smiled and thought to himself that Hayate is deliberately toying with Ryusei.

"Anything else?" Hayate asked.

"I play a card face-down and end my turn."

"Good" Hayate replied as he drew. "As for me I set a monster face-down and 3 face-downs. You're turn."

"Ryusei can win this in this turn!" Shinji said excitedly

"I'm not sure" Vanessa replied. Shinji looked to Vanessa wondering why. "Look at Hayate's friends; they are not even bothered he only has a few hundred points left. Something's up here."

Ryusei: ("This is my opportunity to win!")

"My turn!" Ryusei declared. "Maiden of Macabre attacks you're face-down monster!"

"Sorry but I play my Sakuretsu Armour which destroys you're monster!"

Ryusei growled and then declared Breaker's attack on Hayate's monster. As Breaker slashed the monster it turned out to be Morphing Jar (700/600).

"Since you hit Morphing Jar our hands are discarded and we draw five new cards" Hayate stated. They both drew their five cards and Ryusei ended his turn.

"My turn" Hayate said. "First I play a face-down and activate my face-down Emergency Provisions so I get 1000 life points for each Spell or Trap I send to the Graveyard. So I send the face-down I just set to gain my points."

LP (1700/4000)

"Next I summon Phantom of Chaos (0/0) in attack mode!"

"0 points?" Ryusei questioned.

"What it lacks in strength it makes up in its unique effect. I can remove from play a Monster from my Graveyard and Phantom of Chaos gets all the stats of the monster selected."

"So that means…" Shinji said.

"That if I remove Horus LV4 from my Graveyard my Phantom becomes Horus!"

The Phantom morphed into a completely black clone of Horus LV4 (1600/1000).

"Now I play Rush Recklessly, increasing its attack by 700 (2300/1000).

"I'll also activate a card!" Ryusei interrupted "Spell Book of Power! This trap removes 2 Spells from my Graveyard and can boost my Breaker's attack by 1000!"

"Not happening, Ryusei!"

"What?"

"I activate my face-down Royal Decree which negates all Traps, and you can't activate any Traps as long as this card is on the field."

Ryusei gritted his teeth, realising his predicament. Shinji then noticed that Ryusei is not himself in this duel. Throughout the whole duel he seemed to be anxious, therefore Ryusei is rushing his plays.

"Phantom of Chaos. Attack Breaker!" Breaker was destroyed but Ryusei didn't lose any life points which confused Vanessa and Shinji.

"In case you're wondering why, Phantom of Chaos doesn't deal battle damage." Tasuku said to the others.

"I play a face-down and end my turn and when my turn ends Horus gets sent to the Graveyard and Horus LV6 (2300/1600) comes out!" A larger dragon similar to Horus LV4 rose and roared loudly.

"Your turn."

Vanessa and Shinji looked very worried as Hayate's crew was smiling.

Ryusei drew his card and said "I play Monster Reborn on Maiden of Macabre and play Magical Dimension, releasing my Maiden to summon Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000)! I then discard a card (Apprentice Magician) to activate is effect of limiting a monster's strength to 2000!"

Hayate wasn't bothered that Horus was limited to 2000 attack.

"Cybernetic Magician attack Horus LV6 with Light Cyber Blast!" Cybernetic Magician twirled his staff before releasing a blast of white light destroying Horus.

LP (1300/4000)

"I summon Magician's Valkyria (1600/1800) in defense mode and end my turn."

Hayate: ("You'll pay for that!")

"My turn then." Hayate declared as he drew. "First, I'll play Level Modulation so you get to draw two cards."

Ryusei drew two cards thinking what Hayate is up to.

"In return, I get to Special Summon a LV monster from my Graveyard so come back, Horus LV6 (2300/1600)! I play another face-down. You're turn, Ryusei." Hayate said smiling despite his annoyance inside.

Hayate: ("That is the last time you will destroy my Horus!")

Ryusei drew his card thinking what to do.

Shinji: ("Ryusei can't attack it's too risky. I shouldn't be worried about him really but he seems different this time.")

Ryusei: ("I shouldn't attack because of his face-down. NO! I gotta win this no matter what!")

"I discard a card (Brain Control) to activate my Cyber Mage's effect one more time decreasing Horus to 2000! Attack Horus now!" This move surprised Shinji and Vanessa while Hayate smiled.

"Activate Shrink so your monster's ATK gets cut in half (Cybernetic Magician-1200/1000)!"

Ryusei was shocked and realised what he's done.

"Horus, strike back with Black Flame!" Cybernetic Magician was destroyed.

LP (1600/3200)

"I end my turn" Ryusei said quietly.

"Well in the End Phase two things happen. Firstly I'll activate my face-down Fires of Doomsday so I get 2 Doomsday tokens (0/0) onto the field." 2 small black flames with arms appeared, both with one green eye.

"Also since Horus destroyed a monster by battle I think you know what's next."

A drop of sweat came down the side of Ryusei's face while Vanessa and Shinji looked really worried at the situation.

"Horus LV6 says later, and now say hello to Horus The Black Flame Dragon, LV8 (3000/1800)!"

Vanessa: ("Ryusei…")

"So now you cannot activate any Spells."

"My turn now Ryusei and just for fun I'll tribute 1 Doomsday Token to summon Jinzo (2400/1500)! Now time to take control! Jinzo attack Magician's Valkyria." Jinzo shot out an electric pulse which caused Valkyria to explode. "Horus attack directly! With Black Mega Flame!" Horus LV8 breathed out an almighty black fireball completely covering Ryusei.

"RYUSEI!" Vanessa and Shinji shouted.

Ryusei fell to one knee in the aftermath of the attack.

LP (1300/200)

"Why did I waste my time duelling, this punk?" Hayate asked his friends. They just laughed and smiled at the comment. Despite his calmness outside Hayate's blood was boiling inside.

Hayate: ("That's it! Crush him! You've got to teach this punk a lesson! Wait a minute, calm down Hayate, you have this duel covered. Just chill.")

Ryusei got up from the attack.

"It's your turn now but I don't see the point. This duel has proven to me that you're nothing more than a fluke. A fraud!"

"No he's not!" Shinji shouted in Ryusei's defense

"Shut up pipsqueak!" Hayate replied, even you can see that this guy is toast!"

Shinji kept silent admitting that Ryusei is not himself for some reason and he won't win like this.

Ryusei was being stared down by Horus and he doubted himself.

Ryusei: ("What's wrong with me? Why am I so anxious in this duel? For some reason I feel like I have to defeat this guy no matter the cost and for what? I need to calm down but I wish I realised earlier. It's too late to do anything now. I do believe in my Deck, but I feel that this is a stretch too far.")

_**FLASHBACK-One year ago**_

_**RYUSEI-"Hiro?"**_

_**HIRO-"That's Uncle Hiro!"  
RYUSEI-"Whatever, you told me that if you believe in yourself and you're ability you can do anything."**_

_**HIRO-"Of course."**_

_**RYUSEI-"But what if you begin to doubt yourself?"**_

_**HIRO-"Then you don't have enough faith."**_

_**RYUSEI-"What?"**_

_**HIRO-"Look, when you a decision whether in duelling or in life you select each and every option carefully as it has value to you. Therefore, when you have made you're choices you feel good as you're instincts tell you you've made the right choice. Therefore you should always trust yourself to make those right choices.**_

Ryusei: ("Hiro's right. I chose every card in this Deck as I felt they were the right choices to make. I must have faith in my Deck to get me out of this! It took me a long time to make it so I know I've got something somewhere! Even if it just buys me one more turn I know I have something in there!")

Ryusei took a deep breath and exhaled. A smile then appeared in Ryusei's face which seemed more relaxed and calm. This caused Shinji and Vanessa to smile also.

"What are you smiling at?" Hayate said annoyed.

"Call it new found faith. My turn!"

Ryusei closed his eyes and gently placed his fingers on his Deck.

Ryusei: ("I believe.")

He drew the card sharply with his eyes still closed. He opened his eyes and flipped the card over and smiled, which concerned Hayate.

Ryusei: ("It's risky but I'll go for it!")

"I summon Jowgen the Spiritualist (200/1300) in attack mode!"

"What's a monster with 200 attack points gonna do?" Hayate asked.

"First, I must randomly discard one card from my hand before I can activate its effect."

Ryusei shuffled his hand well and put the cards on top of each other. He picked the top card hoping it is the one he wants to discard. He flipped the card, it was Enemy Controller. He smiled and sent it to the Graveyard and continued.

"Now I've done that my Jowgen's effect allows it to destroy all Special Summoned monsters on the field!"

"WHAT?!" Hayate shouted.

Jowgen held his staff out which shot out rays of purple light destroying Horus LV8 and the remaining Doomsday token.

"Damn you!" Hayate said angrily.

"Now I can use Spells so I play Magical Dimension which releases my Jowgen to Summon Chaos Command Magician (2400/1900) in attack mode!"

Hayate growled as he knew about Magical Dimension's 2nd effect.

"I'm guessing from you're face that you know my Dimension's ability also allows me to destroy a monster on the field."

Jinzo exploded into pieces. Hayate couldn't believe what has happened. Vanessa and Shinji were as shocked as he was, but were happy.

"Chaos Command Magician attack Hayate directly with Chaos Burning!"

Chaos Command Magician twirled his short staff and fired a dark ray. It engulfed Hayate and he went down to his knees in the aftermath.

LP: (0/200)

Ryusei fells to his knees afterwards due to exhaustion. Vanessa and Shinji ran over to help him up.

"Hayate!" Tasuku shouted as he ran over to him. He offered his hand to help him up but Hayate pushed it to one side. He got himself up and said to Ryusei

"Nicely done." He then walked away, back towards his dorm with his crew in tow. As Ryusei and the others were leaving the field there was a man watching from a distance. He was tall, with short brown hair and light brown eyes. He was wearing a blue jacket over his red shirt, with blue denim jeans and white trainers.

Man: ("Hayate, Hayate, Hayate. I expected better from you. Seems you're slipping a little bit. But anyway this 1st year is very interesting, especially pulling a victory like that. It looks like I've found a worthy opponent.")

Ryusei reached his dorm room and collapsed face-first on to his bed. Shinji and Vanessa followed.

"That was an awesome win Ryusei!" Shinji said happily.

"It was all right I suppose." Ryusei tiredly responded "Right now though I need to sleep. Two duels take its toll on you."

"Before I let you sleep there is something you should know." Vanessa said in a serious tone. "Hayate is a very serious competitor, he hates losing. So it won't be long before he comes after you seeking vengeance." Shinji looked a bit concerned. Ryusei just rolled on to his back looking at the ceiling and said

"Let him come."

At Domino South Hayate went into his room with Tasuku behind him.

"Are you _sure_ you're all right?" Tasuku asked.

"Stop asking that, I said I'm okay like 20 times!" Hayate responded.

"I know. But in all the years I've known you; you have never taken a loss this well."

"People change, anyway I'm gonna sleep now, I'm a little tired man." Hayate stated.

"All right cool, the others are going out tonight so I'll see you tomorrow morning." Tasuku headed out the door as Hayate lied in bed with his eyes closed and then many thoughts were rushing, echoing in his head.

Hayate: ("YOU'RE A LOSER! A DISGRACE! HOW CAN YOU LOSE TO A NOBODY! ALWAYS A FAILURE! DISGUSTING! YOU MUST HAVE VENGEANCE!")

Hayate then suddenly opened his eyes.

Preview: Ryusei, Vanessa and Shinji go to Osaka on the weekend to watch her Dad's team play. After the match an unfortunate accident causes a heated argument between Vanessa and a group of girls. Therefore she challenges one of them to a duel to settle the argument.

Chapter 6-Rumble in Osaka! Conflict with Daedalus!

ORIGINAL CARDS

Spell Book of Power

Normal Trap

Activate only during the Main Phase of a turn. Remove from play 2 Spell cards form your Graveyard to increase the ATK of one monster on your side of the field by 1000.


	6. Chapter 6 Rumble In Osaka!

Location: University Main Building

It had just gone past midday and Tasuku was walking back to his dorm from the main building. He had a concerned look on his face for two reasons. Firstly, he and his friends have not seen Hayate since the evening after his duel with Ryusei (2 days ago). Secondly was that Hayate missed all his lectures this morning.

As he reached the dorm he went straight upstairs to the top floor. He went to the end of the corridor and faced Hayate's door. As he knocked the door it slightly moved. Realising it was open; Tasuku gently went inside and noticed what happened. The room was completely trashed. The television was smashed, lying on the floor. Most of the gadgets he had were broken or smashed. The laptop was broken, the curtains were ripped, and textbooks, clothes and drawers were on the floor.

Tasuku crept around carefully, hoping he wouldn't step on anything that would cause him injury. He then looked to his right and saw Hayate sleeping roughly in bed. Tasuku sighed and said to himself,

"I guess some people never change."

He grabbed his phone and was dialling a number until Hayate said,

"It's already been taking care of."

Tasuku turned to him and noticed that he was awake and sitting up.

"You really let loose this time didn't you?" Tasuku asked.

Hayate didn't answer his question but instead continued from what he said before.

"Replacements will be here in a couple of days."

Hayate then got out of bed looking a bit messy. Tasuku noticed from Hayate's body language that he has taken this defeat pretty hard, harder than usual. So he tried to get him to talk about it.

"Look, Hayate…about yesterday, it was…"

"Shut up!" Hayate interrupted "I don't want to talk about it! Or anything related to that scumbag!"

Tasuku sighed, deciding to leave the subject for now. "Are you at least coming to the tutorial at 2?"

"I will." Hayate responded "And thanks…for checking up on me."

Tasuku just went out of the room without saying a word.

Hayate went into the bathroom and just stared at the mirror. He turned on the tap and splashed some water on his face to refresh himself. As he raised his head he stared in the mirror again. Suddenly a flash of a red and black dragon with tri-horns on its head flew across the mirror. Hayate shook his head and looked back at the mirror. This time he just saw himself again.

**Chapter 6-Rumble in Osaka! Conflict with Daedalus!**

Location: Domino East Dorm (1 week later)

Ryusei was in the cafeteria reading a book and eating a sandwich. Sitting across him was Vanessa who was staring at him with one hand on her cheek. Ryusei ignored her for a while but then it started to annoy him. He took another bite of his sandwich and said,

"What do you want?"

"It's rude to talk with your mouth full." Vanessa replied.

"It's rude to stare at people while they're eating."

"Come on! It's Friday today! We should do something fun today!"

Ryusei swallowed his bite and replied "Got extra reading to do for Monday's tutorial."

Vanessa groaned in frustration. "Look Ryusei, we all came here to get degrees but that doesn't mean you have to be so anti-social! You're all study, study, study! University is supposed to be fun as well you know!"

"I'm having fun." He replied.

"I'm sure it's been fun fighting on you're first day, and becoming public enemy no. 1 with Domino South. How about some enjoyment without too much drama! Is that too much to ask of you Ryusei? Is it?"

"All right, fine." Ryusei closed his book, put it on the table and said bluntly "Tomorrow afternoon Gamba Osaka is playing FC Tokyo at home. Do you want to go?"

This took Vanessa by surprise at first, but then a smile appeared on her face.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"Is that a yes then?"

"Of course it is! I love watching my team play! Ask Shinji if he wants to come also. Will call you later." Vanessa ran out of the cafeteria and out of the dorm. Ryusei just went back to his textbook and sandwich.

Location: Domino Train Station

It was the next day, late in the morning. The sun was shining brightly on a warm day. Ryusei was at the train station waiting for Shinji and Vanessa. He firstly looked at his watch (11:45am) and then he looked at his left and saw Shinji. Shinji waved as he walked towards Ryusei.

"Hi. Have you been waiting long?" Shinji asked.

"Not really, just have to wait for Vanessa now." Ryusei replied.

"Oh. She didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"That' she caught an earlier train and that she wanted to meet her Dad before the game. So she said she will meet us at the stadium."

"Fair enough" Ryusei replied.

The time was 2.15pm. Ryusei and Shinji just arrived at the stadium. The place was crowded with football fans from both teams, creating a vibrant atmosphere. As the two were looking around a voice shouted,

"Welcome to the Osaka Expo 70' Stadium!"

Ryusei and Shinji turned to see Vanessa wearing a Gamba Osaka football shirt (navy blue with numerous diagonal black stripes).

"I see you're already getting into this match." Shinji said.

"Well of course, they are my team after all."

"Did you get to see your Dad?" Ryusei asked.

"Nah, I thought I should leave him to do his thing and will try to catch him after the match. Anyway shouldn't we go inside? The match will start soon."

Location: Domino University Library

Tasuku was on a PC looking for information for his current assignment. While doing this his mind kept on drifting to this morning.

Tasuku: ("Hayate really took this defeat hard, harder than usual that is. Knowing him he will want a rematch for revenge but also knowing him, it would be more important to him to figure out a way to reassert his position as number one. However, I don't really know how he's gonna be able to do that.")

As Tasuku was drifting in his thoughts, a new message appeared on his University mail inbox. Tasuku opened the message. It was directed to all students, basically advertising a small duelling tournament being hold within the University. The tournament was just for fun with no serious prizes available. Tasuku studied the message and then a smile appeared on his face.

Tasuku: ("Perfect.")

Location: Osaka Expo Stadium

The time was after 5pm. The sky was still bright as the day was slowly creeping towards evening. With the match ending 2-1 to Gamba Osaka, Ryusei, Vanessa and Shinji were heading towards a park nearby, after the match.

"Why are we hanging around here?" Shinji asked.

"I already told you. My Dad is still busy with the team players, plus he takes part in the warm down. So I'm waiting until after that's done before I see him." Vanessa responded.

As they arrived at the park Vanessa put her bag down and rustled through it.

"While we are waiting, do you fancy a kick about?" She asked pulling a football from her bag.

As the guys were passing the ball around a group of three girls were just walking into the park. The one in the middle seemed to be the leader of the three. She was average height with short dark blue, wavy hair. She wore a blue designer shirt and skirt, and a white leather jacket on top. All three had drinks in their hands and were chatting away.

Ryusei passed the ball to Shinji. Shinji then tried to be fancy and chipped the ball to Vanessa. However he put too much height on the ball. Vanessa was back peddling to try and control the ball. The girl with blue hair noticed the ball in the air. As she looked back down, she noticed Vanessa peddling back a bit too close. As Vanessa realised the ball will go over her head she turned around, seeing he girl, unfortunately she was too late to react. She crashed into the girl and both fell to the ground. As they recovered from the crash both girls gasped at what happened. Both of them had purple stains from the blackcurrant drink the girl was carrying on their clothes. In anger they both faced each other and shouted.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

"You should have looked where you were going!" the girl shouted.

"You noticed the ball in the air! If anything you should have got out of the way!" Vanessa replied.

As tensions were rising, Ryusei and Shinji ran over to find out what's going on.

"What happened?" Shinji asked.

"This bitch here didn't look where she was going and ruined my clothes!" The girl said pointing at Vanessa. Vanessa growled at that statement and replied

"You should have moved when you noticed the ball heading in your direction! Plus this shirt is brand new so hand some over!"

"Hand what over?"

"Hand money over! To replace the shirt!" Vanessa stated.

"What?! If anything you should pay for my jacket! Not only was it your fault but this jacket alone costs 30,000 yen!"

"30,000 yen?" Shinji said surprised.

"And I think that outweighs the value of your shirt!" the girl continued.

"There's no way I'm paying for that! Especially since it's your fault!" Vanessa argued.

As the argument continued the other girls went over and started chatting to Ryusei and Shinji.

"Is she always like this?" Shinji asked.

"Mitsuko is generally argumentative. Especially when she feels she is in the right." One of the girls said "Is you're friend the same as well?"

"You could say that." Ryusei replied "At this rate though, this argument isn't gonna end any time soon."

"Fine! Let's settle this argument with a duel!" Vanessa shouted which got everyone else's attention.

"A duel?" Mitsuko asked.

"That's right! Winner has to pay the cost for the other person's clothes!"

"But why? This favours Mitsuko more!" Shinji asked.

"Trust her Shinji." Ryusei said.

"So what do you say?" Vanessa asked glaring at Mitsuko.

"The fact that you have challenged me is laughable enough. However I want my jacket paid for and I can spare a few minutes." Mitsuko smirked.

Vanessa got annoyed and went to her bag and grabbed her Duel Disk. Mitsuko put hers on and both players inserted their Decks and shouted "Duel!"

LP: (Mitsuko-4000/Vanessa-4000)

Ryusei: ("Hopefully Vanessa has changed from our last duel.")

"My turn!" Vanessa said as she drew her card. "I summon Layard the Liberator (1400/1500) in defense mode! I play a card face-down and end my turn."

"Great opening move!" Mitsuko said sarcastically. She drew her card and said,

"I discard Warrior of Atlantis (1900/1200) from my hand to the Graveyard to get 'A Legendary Ocean' to my hand and then I will activate it."

The duel field was surrounded with deep water reaching up to each player's waist.

"Firstly this Field Spell is also treated as the name 'Umi'"

"I already know that!" Vanessa answered sharply.

"Then you already know that all WATER monsters have a 200 increase in ATK and DEF and that they're levels are downgraded by one."

"So…"

"So now I can summon Giga Gagagigo (2450/1500) without a release and have it boosted to 2650! My monster will attack your Layard!" Mitsuko announced.

"Don't think so, thanks to my Negate Attack, which stops your attack and end the Battle phase!"

"Whatever, I end my turn."

Vanessa declared her turn. "I summon Radiant Jeral (1000/2000) in defense mode and end my turn."

"That's all. You really do suck don't you?" Mitsuko sneered. Vanessa was clearly angry by that statement but kept her focus for this turn.

"I summon Mermaid Knight (1500/700) in attack mode and her points go up by 200 (1700/900). Also my Knight can attack twice while 'Umi' is on the field."

Vanessa look concerned as instead of being protected, she is going to lose Life Points.

"Giga Gagagigo will attack Radiant Jeral!" Jeral was instantly overwhelmed by Giga's power. "Then Mermaid Knight will attack your Layard!" The mermaid swam underwater towards Layard and dived up slashing Layard in half. She then dived forward and slashed Vanessa who flinched.

LP (4000/2300)

"End turn." Mitsuko said smiling.

"This is bad!" Shinji stated.

"The duel is far from over Shinji." Ryusei replied "Have faith in Vanessa. I believe she knows what she is doing."

Shinji sighed and turned his attention back to the duel where Vanessa has just drawn her card.

"Perfect." She said quietly. "I remove from play my Layard and Jeral so I can summon my Soul of Purity and Light (2000/1700)!" a young man appeared, who seemed to be carrying a blonde woman on his back with wings.

"Still not strong enough." Mitsuko sneered.

"I know but I also activate, my Cestus of Dagla Equip Spell. This increases my Soul's ATK by 500 points (2500/1700)! Soul of Purity and Light, attack Mermaid Knight!" Mitsuko flinched from the destruction of her monster.

LP (3200/3100)

"Why did you're Life Points go up?!" Mitsuko asked angrily.

"Simple. My Cestus has another effect where my Life Points go up equal to the damage I deal." Vanessa smiled. "Anyway I end my turn."

Mitsuko was cross with herself with letting Vanessa take Life Points of her. Due to this, she rushed through her move without thinking.

"I draw! Giga, crush that Light monster!" Giga went to attack but Mitsuko noticed very late that her monster's attack had decreased to 2350. "What happened?"

"That's my Soul's doing there." Vanessa replied. "When my opponent conducts they're Battle Phase, my Soul cuts all they're monsters attack by 300."

LP (3050/3250)

"She's winning now!" Shinji said excitedly. Ryusei and the other girls was unmoved by the situation. They knew that there's still a while to go.

"I play 2 face-downs and end my turn." Mitsuko muttered.

"My turn then." Vanessa said in a cocky fashion. Thinking she has the duel in the bag.

"I will play…Harvest, the Angel of Wisdom (1800/1200) in attack mode! Unfortunately for you it's game over. Soul, attack her directly!" As Vanessa's monster moved to attack, Mitsuko smiled.

"I activate Tornado Wall!" a mini tornado appeared blowing Soul back to Vanessa's field. "As long as 'Umi' is on the field this Trap lets me take no battle damage."

Vanessa growled at the situation. "I end my t…"

"During your End Phase I activate my face-down Reload." Mitsuko interrupted. "This lets me add my entire hand to my Deck, shuffle and draw the same cards." Mitsuko added three cards, shuffled and drew three cards. She smiled as she drew Star Boy, Big Wave Small Wave and Levia.

"Time to take control!" Mitsuko said as she drew Terraforming. "Firstly I'll summon Star Boy (550/500) in attack mode."

"Why?" Vanessa questioned. "Despite its effect of a 500 point power up, and your Field Spell, it's still too weak to pose a threat (Star Boy-1250/700)."

"I know, but amateurs like you don't see the bigger picture, so I now play Big Wave Small Wave. Basically I destroy all WATER monsters I control to Special Summon the same number of WATER monsters from my hand." A small tidal wave came from the ocean destroying Star Boy. "I now Special Summon Levia-Dragon – Daedalus (2600/1500)!" A large tidal wave came and when it broke it revealed a large, blue dragon-like serpent.

"Great!" Vanessa said sarcastically.

"I'm guessing from your response you know its effect. By sending 'Umi' to the Graveyard I can destroy all cards on the field except itself!" Levia took a deep breath and fired a huge gush of water which washed away the entire field.

"Levia, attack her directly!" Levia repeated the same attack engulfing Vanessa, dropping her to her knees.

"Vanessa!" Shinji shouted in concern.

LP (3050/650)

"I now play Terraforming which adds a Field Spell to my hand and I will now activate A Legendary Ocean!"

"Again?" Vanessa asked.

"Levia now gets a 200 point boost (2800/1700). End turn."

Vanessa got up very slowly with her head looking downwards.

"What's the matter? You wanna quit and run away?" Mitsuko sneered.

"Ha! Is that all you got! To be honest I expected something a bit better than that!"

Mitsuko growled at that statement. "As for that ugly thing, I'm sorry but I'm taking it down!" Vanessa said pointing at Levia. Ryusei smiled slightly from that last statement while Shinji had some renewed belief in Vanessa. She drew her card and saw a Spell.

Vanessa: ("Hmm…This play relies on a lot of luck. It all depends on whether I am right in guessing what Mitsuko is going to do. Well, here goes nothing.")

"I play Nova Summoner (1400/800) in defense mode; set 2 cards face-down and that's it."

"Is that all? Then this duel is finished!" Mitsuko proclaimed. "I play Pot of Greed so I draw 2 cards. Next I send my Levia to the Graveyard to Special Summon Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus (2900/1600)!" a larger and sleeker version of Levia appeared with 2 heads.

"I was hoping you would do that and here's why! I activate my face-down Demise of the Land! So I can activate a Field Spell when you Special Summon a monster."  
"No!" Mitsuko replied, shocked from the play.

"So I activate The Sanctuary In The Sky!" the field dried up and formed clouds with a bright temple appearing behind Vanessa.

"Doesn't matter. Neo-Daedalus attack Nova Summoner."

"When Nova Summoner is destroyed by battle and my Sanctuary is in play I can special summon Airknight Parshath (1900/1400)!"

"That won't make a difference. I end my turn."

"Unfortunately in your End Phase I'll activate my other face-down, Parshath Explosion! If I have my Sanctuary out, I can release one Airknight Parshath to destroy up to 2 cards on the field."

"NO WAY!" Mitsuko screamed as Airknight turned a bright yellow before creating a huge explosion destroying Neo-Daedalus.

"MY BEST MONSTER!" Mitsuko shouted.

"Sorry but I have to move on!" Vanessa drew her card. "I play Pot of Greed so I can draw 2 cards; I then play Valhalla of the Fallen. This basically lets me Special Summon a Fairy from my hand if I have no monsters so…" She flipped the card to show Mitsuko who was unhappy with what she saw. "Meet Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000)!" The girls were unhappy while Ryusei and Shinji were smiling. "Attack Mitsuko, Guardian Angel with Angel Blast!" Joan created a ball of white light and fired at Mitsuko.

LP (250/650)

"I end my turn."

Mitsuko couldn't contain her anger any longer. "I'll get you back for that, you bitch! YOU'RE ANGEL IS HISTORY!" Mitsuko drew viciously from her Deck. "I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Neo-Daedalus (2900/1600)! I then equip it with Big Bang Shot increasing its attack by 400 (3400/1600). Daedalus, crush that fairy with Deadly Ocean Surge!"

LP (250/650)

"I end my turn!" Mitsuko said vigorously.

"What's Vanessa gonna do? She doesn't have a monster with more than 3400 points!" Shinji said nervously.

"Then she's done." One of the girls said.

"Have faith Shinji. Every card has the potential to bring victory in any duel." Ryusei said answered

"But…"

"But nothing. If she believes she can do it then she will do it."

"Here goes!" Vanessa said as she drew. She stared at her card for a while and then finally said "I play a monster face-down and end my turn."

"You do realise that my Daedalus can inflict battle damage from the difference of ATK and DEF, but I'm not complaining. Just hand over the money for my jacket after this turn." Mitsuko said with a wry grin on her face. "Anyway Neo Daedalus! End this duel!" Daedalus fired a high pressured water ray but Vanessa didn't look bothered. As it hit the monster it flipped face up and a pink blob appeared with eyes and a mouth.

"What the hell is that?!"

"That is my good friend Marshmallon (300/500). It can't be destroyed in battle."  
"But you're Life Points!"

"Well, my Sanctuary prevents me from taking damage from battle involving Fairies. Didn't you notice after you destroyed my Joan my Life Points didn't change?" Mitsuko gritted her teeth in anger "Oh yeah, one more thing I forgot to mention. If you attack Marshy while it's face-down, you take 1000 points of damage after the battle."

"No…way." Mitsuko whispered as she dropped to her knees.

LP (0/650)

"She won!" Shinji said happily. Ryusei smiled and the girls just looked away. Vanessa walked over to Mitsuko and offered her hand to help her up.

"I guess I owe you for the shirt." Mitsuko said quietly.

"Don't worry about it. I had a good time duelling so I actually forgot about it. However, I'm sorry about the jacket." Vanessa said.

"It's okay I guess. I had a good time also despite my little anger trips."

"What was the deal with that anyway?" Vanessa asked intriguingly

"I don't mind losing now and again. It's just happens when I feel I should be in control. When I'm not, I get more annoyed with myself and take it out on my opponent. That's just me I'm afraid."

"Well I would like to duel you again sometime, without the anger though."

"Likewise." Mitsuko said as the pair shook hands.

"How about that? Started as enemies and ended with friendship." Ryusei said.

"I'm just glad that Kasumi didn't get to see this." One of the girls said.

"Looks like you spoke too soon." The other girl replied in a concerned manner.

"What's going on here?" a voice said. Everyone turned to look as it came from behind Mitsuko. It was a girl.

"She's pretty!" Shinji said in awe. Ryusei looked also in amazement of her beauty. She had a tall, slender figure with long tied black hair reaching her lower back. She was wearing a blue jacket over her white tank top and blue denim jeans. However as she opened her dark brown eyes they seemed to emit pure coldness. Shinji backed off slightly from that moment.

"Kasumi!" Mitsuko said surprised. She let go of Vanessa's hand and turned to Kasumi's attention.

"You haven't answered my question." She continued.

"Well we had a duel after a disagreement…" Vanessa started

"I wasn't talking to you." Kasumi interrupted.

"It's rude to interrupt people when they're speaking!" Vanessa said in an annoyed fashion. Kasumi didn't pay attention to her at all still looking at Mitsuko.

"Looking at you two idiots I'm not even gonna bother guessing."

"Hey! You can't just come here and say stuff like that!" Vanessa said angrily.

"Don't speak to me unless you have something worth saying." Kasumi said looking sharply at Vanessa. Vanessa gritted her teeth in anger.

"However, I will say that you lost to this weakling. Am I right?"

Mitsuko nodded her head, almost ashamed by this.

"Weakling?!" Vanessa shouted. Shinji manage to restrain her before she went after Kasumi. Kasumi sighed and said,

"Disappointing." And she turned and walked away.

"Wait Kasumi!" Mitsuko said as she and the other girls followed her. Vanessa shook Shinji loose and shouted.

"HEY! LET'S GO! YOU AND ME RIGHT NOW!"

Kasumi just turned around and said "There's no point. You wouldn't even last 2 turns against me." She walked off with the others.

"Why you!"

"Calm down Vanessa!" Shinji said struggling to restrain her. She got free but Ryusei stood in front of her.

"Get out of my way Ryusei! I'm going…"

"To do what? You will just charge over there, where she will reject you again. And even if she did accept you're request you're too angry, you won't concentrate and will probably lose in 2 turns."

Vanessa calmed down realising he's right. "Besides shouldn't we go and see your Dad now?" Ryusei asked.

Vanessa realised that and nodded. She took of her Duel Disk and put it in her bag with her ball and then the three walked back towards the stadium.

Location: Domino South

It was 11pm. Hayate was in his room, still the same mess from this morning looking through his Deck. As he was going through it flashes of the duel with Ryusei ran through his head. He got angry, knocked his cards over and put his hands on his head.

Hayate: ("What's wrong with me? I can't get this duel out of my mind!")

Tasuku then came in the door with something behind his back.

"What's up?" Hayate said calmly

"I noticed this loss has hit you hard, and I know that you always try to get even after every loss in a special way. But more importantly you would want to save this dorm's reputation. So I have an idea." He showed Hayate a flyer that was behind his back advertising the tournament in the University that was announced earlier.

"A low-level tournament?! What the hell is wrong with you?! Why would I enter a tournament that is meant for amateurs?!" Hayate angrily said, scrunching up the paper and throwing it on the floor.

"Just here me out, Hayate. If you don't like my idea, then I'll forget the whole thing. However, when you hear it, I think you'll like it.

Hayate sighed and offered Tasuku a chair as he sat on his bed.

"So what do you have in mind?"

End of Chapter

Preview: Hayate announces an exclusive tournament for Duel Leaders where his status as University Champion is the grand prize. Vanessa realises this is a ploy to reassert Hayate's position as the best. Therefore, she tries to persuade Ryusei to challenge Kazuma for Duel Leader status of Domino East to enter the tournament.

Chapter 7-Birth of a New Leader?! Part 1

ORIGINAL CARDS

Parshath Explosion

Normal Trap

While "The Sanctuary in the Sky" is face up on the field, tribute 1 "Airknight Parshath" you control to destroy up to 2 cards on the field.


	7. Chapter 7 Birth Of A New Leader! Part 1

Location: Domino East

It was 6pm in room 42. Ryusei was making notes on today's lectures while Shinji was reading a textbook on Java programming. As soon as Shinji turned the page over, his phone suddenly rang. He picked up the phone and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Have you seen the news on the intranet?"

"Hey Vanessa and no I haven't" Shinji answered.

"Look now!" She said excitedly.

"All right, call back in a minute." He hanged up his phone and turned on his laptop.

Ryusei while continuing writing asked,

"What did she want?"

"Don't know. She said there is something on our intranet that we should look at."

"Coursework maybe?"

"Don't think so. She sounded too excited about it."

As he was just about to connect to the Internet the phone rang again. Shinji answered knowing it was Vanessa.

"Have you seen it yet?" She asked.

"I'm getting there. Hold on a minute!" he replied.

He signed on to the intranet and saw some news about a tournament that was posted nearly two weeks ago.

"Is it the duel tournament you are talking about?"

"No! Look above that!" Vanessa replied. Shinji noticed above it was a news item titled 'Worthy people only!' he clicked on the news item and it read.

_This is a message to all Duel Leaders. I am holding an exclusive tournament for us Duel Leaders within the University. The prize is my title as University Champion. The tournament will be held at the Kaiba Dome which has been pre-booked for 3 days, two weeks from today. If you want to take part please email or personal message Tasuku Miyamoto confirming your attendance. This tournament is for Duel Leaders ONLY. If you cannot attend then you can submit a representative if you wish. I look forward to hearing from you soon. For those who don't fit the bill and ignored the 'Worthy' message to read this anyway. Tickets will be on sale shortly for the event if you wish to watch it._

_From_

_Hayate Nakamura_

"Wow, Hayate is putting his title on the line? But why would he do that?" Shinji asked.

"Don't know, don't care but I'm SO gonna enter!"

"I don't know…" Ryusei signalled Shinji to pass over the phone.

"Vanessa."

"Ryusei, are you going to enter to?" she asked.

"You've forgotten two important details."

"What?"

"Firstly we can't enter as it's for Duel Leaders only. Secondly the only way you will get to go is if our Leader can't go and chooses you to be the rep."

Vanessa was silent realising Ryusei was right after reading it again.

"Later." Ryusei hanged up the phone and passed it back to Shinji.

"You know you could be in this tournament Ryusei." Shinji said.

"How do you figure that?"

"Well you said it yourself; if our Leader doesn't enter and has heard about your duels, then you never know. He may see you as a good enough rep for us."

Ryusei sighed and went back to his notes.

**Chapter 7-Birth of a New Leader?!**

It was a bright sunny morning. Ayaka was walking across a field filled with many flowers and plants, plus a few trees here and there. She was extremely happy and seemed to be dancing around absorbing the loving warmth of nature. She kneeled down to smell a lily. However, afterwards the lily started to wilt and then disintegrated. Ayaka looked confused and then stood up. As she did this, the sun became covered by dark menacing clouds and the whole field started to wilt and die out into a barren wasteland. She looked to her left and saw a city in the horizon. However, she noticed that the skyscrapers of the city were being destroyed, crumbling into pieces. A sudden gust of wind came about, and Ayaka noticed that the wind was carrying black rose petals. The petals tried in vain to restore the field and the city back to its natural beauty, but to no avail. Ayaka was feeling scared to what was happening and then she heard a voice whispering something in the wind. She couldn't hear it clearly until she focused on it and it whispered,

"The world needs to be saved…you must…embrace your destiny."

She turned around to see where the voice was coming from and she was face-to face with a purple dragon. She screamed loudly, and then gasped as she woke up.

She rose slowly from her bed of cream sheets and a cream quilt with red and green flowers on it and looked to her left to see the time. It was 7.13am. Ayaka's room was tidy with a flowery theme but simple. She had many posters of differing flowers on her wall but apart from that there was nothing extravagant about the place. She got out of bed and put on her white dressing gown. She then went to open the curtains and noticed it was raining. She was thinking about her dream but she then heard a knock on her door. Wondering who it was at this time she went over and opened the door. It was a girl, similar height to Ayaka. She had long, tied, plaited orange hair and blue eyes. She wore an orange jumper, white trousers and white shoes.

"Mina? What are you doing here?" Ayaka said tiredly.

Mina handed her a piece of paper with some writing on it. Ayaka went inside and picked up her glasses from her dressing mirror. She sat on her bed reading the paper as Mina walked in.

"So you up for it?" Mina asked.

Ayaka finished reading which turned out to be Hayate's tournament announcement.

"I'm not sure at the moment, I will think about it."

"What's there to think about? This is a chance for us to be known as the best!" Mina said happily.

Ayaka was just looking down, her mind wandering elsewhere.

Mina noticed this and asked,

"Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Ayaka despondently answered. She quickly reacted and said "Yeah, I'm fine, just…a little tired, I didn't get much sleep last night due to an assignment. As for this tournament I'll talk to you later about it, okay?"

She handed back the piece of paper to Mina who took it from her.

"Okay"

Mina responded knowing there is more to it than that. She went out of the room and closed the door. Ayaka laid back on her bed with images of her dream flashing through her head desperately trying to figure out what it means.

Location: University Main Building

It was lunchtime and Ryusei, Vanessa and Shinji were having lunch with other friends in the cafeteria.

"Why do the order the same thing?" Vanessa asked.

Ryusei was eating King Prawn Chow Mein and replied back,

"Why do you always ask so many questions?"

"I don't know…I just do, I guess it's in my nature."

"That's my answer to your question." Ryusei said as he took another mouthful.

"Anyway I'm looking forward to this tournament. The best duellists of this University going head-to-head. It should be great!" Shinji said.

The rest of the table agreed except Vanessa.

"I personally don't think so."

"Why?" One of the guys said,

"Simple. This tournament is just to boost Hayate's ego. I think he's just doing this to save face so if he wins he will still be known as the best. Despite his loss."

Vanessa was about to continue but then she saw someone. She caught Kasumi buying a drink at the corner of her eye and glared at her. Kasumi didn't even notice her as she walked out.

"Still thinking about that girl huh?" Ryusei asked

"No!" Vanessa answered in an angry fashion. "Anyway, as I was saying, this tournament is a farce and that in my opinion. It would only be good if Ryusei entered it."

The table were surprised with Vanessa's comment and they all turned to Ryusei to see his response.

"I can't enter, and even if I could I don't want to enter. I've got better things to do than getting involved in contests."

"Also Kazuma will take the spot in the tournament anyway." A girl said.

Vanessa had a eureka moment jumped up from her seat and shouted,

"I GOT IT!"

Everyone in the canteen fell silent and looked at Vanessa who laughed nervously "Ignore me, carry on". The rest of the place went back to eating and chatting. Vanessa jumped out of the table and grabbed Ryusei's arm.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Come on, we have to go somewhere!" she answered as she pulled him out of the table.

"Go where?!" Ryusei said.

"You'll see!" Vanessa pulled Ryusei out of the cafeteria, as Shinji sighed and the rest of the table looked confused.

Location: Domino Town

Ryusei was riding his bike with Vanessa as a passenger. Ryusei still had no idea where they were going so Vanessa was giving directions.

"Which way?" Ryusei asked as he approached a junction.

"Turn right, and at the next one turn left!"

Vanessa announced. Ryusei followed the instructions and after travelling on a straight road for a while Vanessa smiled.

"Here we are!"

Ryusei slowed down on this road which had many houses on either side of the road, some detached, some terraced and a few semi-detached.

"Where are we?"

"This is usually where students with private accommodation live. Convenient as its only 10 minutes by bike from the uni. Go to that house!" Vanessa said pointing at no. 112.

Ryusei parked his bike on the road outside the house. The two got off the bike with their bags and quickly headed to the house as it was still raining. Vanessa knocked on the door. A guy opened the door. He was tall, with short brown hair and light brown eyes. He was wearing a blue jacket over his red t-shirt, with blue denim jeans and white trainers.

"Vanessa?" he asked surprisingly,

"Hi Kazuma!" she replied happily. Before she could say something Kazuma then asked.

"Who's this guy?" pointing at Ryusei.

"That is my friend Ryusei. Ryusei, meet Kazuma Oguro, our Duel Leader."

"Nice to meet you." Ryusei said smiling. He out stretched his hand which Kazuma grabbed to shake hands.

"Likewise, anyway come on in."

The pair went inside the house which was of average size. The front room was average size with 2 sofas and 1 armchair around the television. A long table was in the middle of the room for serving.

"Can I get you something to eat or drink?" Kazuma asked.

Before Vanessa could say yes Ryusei stepped in by saying,

"No thanks, we are not staying here long."

Kazuma offered them a seat on the sofa as he sat down on the armchair and asked "So what brings you here?"

"It's about the tournament that Hayate announced" Vanessa said.

"Oh that, what about it?" he replied.

"Are you going to enter?"

"Maybe, why do you ask?"

"Because if not my friend Ryusei would like to be the representative for Domino East"

"He does?" Kazuma asked surprisingly.

"I don't." Ryusei answered seriously.

"Yes, he does. See in case you didn't know Hayate lost to Ryusei a while ago."

"I know, as I watched the duel."

Both Ryusei and Vanessa both were astonished as they thought they were the only people who were involved in that duel.

"You saw it?" Vanessa asked, still surprised by the revelation.

"Yeah I did. It was a good duel also. I was impressed by the way you took down Horus. But knowing Hayate, he is not the kind of person to let that go." Kazuma said.

"How would you know that?" Ryusei asked.

"Because we used to be best friends." Kazuma responded.

"Really?! How could you be friends with that guy?" Vanessa asked

"He wasn't always like the way he is. He used to be a good person you know. He was more chilled back then than he is these days."

"So what happened?"

Kazuma paused a little thinking about how to answer the question. He then said,

"People changed, and he changed quite a bit so in the end we just drifted apart…anyway you were saying."

"Right, I personally think that he's doing this whole tournament thing to get no.1 status without facing Ryusei in a rematch, which is cowardly in my opinion so for justice to be served, Ryusei needs to enter so Hayate can prove properly whether he is better or not."

"I don't need to enter a contest for that." Ryusei said. "If Hayate is doing this for those reasons then that's his business, not mine. If he's too scared to face me, that's also his business so it doesn't bother me."

"What Ryusei says is very true." Kazuma stated "If he doesn't want to get involved then that's the end of it."

Vanessa gritted her teeth in annoyance and then stood up saying,

"Fine! Then Ryusei will challenge you to a duel to become Duel School Leader!"

"What?!" Both men said.

"You heard me! Ryusei should be in this tournament as it's the right thing to do so if you won't let him go in, I'll make sure he forces his way in!"

Kazuma just smiled and said,

"I'm up for it if you are Ryusei." Ryusei was surprised but then smiled.

"Sure, why not?"

Vanessa couldn't contain her happiness "So it's REALLY happening?!"

"It looks that way." Kazuma replied. Vanessa celebrated as her plan worked.

"Tomorrow, outside the dorm at 1pm." Kazuma stated.

Ryusei nodded his head in agreement before heading out of the place with a gleeful Vanessa, despite the rain.

Location: Domino North Dormitory

The time was 10pm; it was a crisp, blustery evening. The dormitory is exactly the same size as Domino South and looks exactly the same inside. On the top floor Mitsuko was walking along the corridor to the end. She knocked on the last door gently. Inside the room was Kasumi sitting on her dressing mirror, brushing her hair, getting ready to go out.

"Enter" she said.

Mitsuko entered the room slowly. The room itself was generally blue. Blue walls, blue bed, blue lighting. Even her bathroom had blue tiles. Mitsuko walked a bit closer and said,

"Umm…Kasumi?"

"What do you want?" she replied coldly.

Mitsuko cleared her throat to gain a little more confidence and walked up next to Kasumi saying,

"You should take a look at this." Handing her a print out of Hayate's message. Kasumi skimmed through the message and handed back the print out.

"Usually I don't have time for silly contests for weaklings and amateurs." She said as she got up. She put on her blue jacket and before she walked out the door she said to Mitsuko,

"However, it should be interesting since it's just us Duel Leaders, remind me to apply tomorrow in case I forget."

Location: University Main Library

Ryusei was typing up some notes from a chapter in his Project Management book when an email alert appeared. He looked closer to notice the message came from Kazuma, with the subject regarding 'Tomorrow's Duel'. He opened it and read what was said and gave a little smile.

Ryusei: ("Fair enough Kazuma, fair enough.")

Location: Domino East Dorm

The time was 1pm sharp on a dry clear day. Kazuma was waiting outside the dorm. A large crowd of students were present also, some eating their lunch, anticipating today's duel.

As Ryusei arrived with Vanessa and Shinji in tow, he saw the large crowd.

"What the hell are all these people doing here?"

"They're here to watch the duel of course. I guess news travels fast." Vanessa responded.

"Yeah, from your mouth."

"That was uncalled for!"

Ryusei walked towards Kazuma while Vanessa and Shinji walked to the front of the crowd.

"You ready?" Kazuma asked Ryusei.

"You bet." They walked past each other until there was enough space. They inserted their Decks to their Duel Disks and activated them, while both players shouted "Duel!"

LP (Kazuma-4000/Ryusei-4000)

"First move to the challenger." Kazuma said.

Ryusei drew his card and examined his hand.

"I summon Maiden of Macabre (1700/0) in attack mode! I'll then play a face-down and end my turn."

"What kind of Deck does Kazuma use anyway?" Shinji asked.

"You'll see" Vanessa answered.

"My turn then" Kazuma said. He drew his card calmly and liked the look of his hand.

"I will first play Polymerization, fusing Elemental Heroes Burstinatrix and Clayman to form Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster (2000/2500) in defense mode."

A black haired woman in red uniform and a large boulder-looking monster swirled together in a vortex. Then a large clay type monster appeared with a shield on its left arm and a missile launcher as its right arm.

"Elemental Heroes?!" Shinji said in shock. Vanessa nodded answering Shinji's question. Ryusei looked unconcerned but Shinji knew about Rampart Blaster's effect.

"Rampart Blaster, attack Ryusei directly." Kazuma said calmly

"What?!" Ryusei exclaimed.

"For those who don't know, when my Blaster is in defense mode, by cutting it's ATK in half I can hit you directly." Ryusei gritted his teeth as he was trapped.

"Go Rampart Barrage!" The Hero fired multiple missiles which slipped past Macabre and exploded in front of Ryusei.

LP (4000/3000)

"Your turn." The crowd applauded the last move by Kazuma.

Ryusei: ("A monster that hits directly and has 2500 defense is hard to take down. I shouldn't be surprised because it seems that's how Duel Leaders are.")

"My turn. I activate my face-down Enemy Controller to shift your Rampart Blaster to attack mode. Then I summon Defense Wizard (400/1700) in defense mode."

An old, short, chubby magician with a long white beard appeared in a dark blue magician uniform and cape.

"I then play the Spell, Spellcaster's Aid. This allows me to select one Spellcaster monster and reduce it's ATK to 0. I can then add those points to another Monster until the end of this turn." The Wizard's ATK dropped to 0 while Maiden increased by 400 (2100/0).

"Maiden attacks Rampart Blaster!"

LP (3900/3000)

"My Maiden gets a Spell Counter for destroying a monster, therefore increasing its strength by 200 (2300/0). I play a card face-down and end my turn and in my End Phase, my Spell forces me to destroy one of the selected monsters so I destroy Defense Wizard." (Maiden of Macabre 1900/0).

"Not a bad move at all!" Vanessa said, pleased with Ryusei's comeback.

"Not bad Ryusei." Kazuma said smiling as he drew his card. "I play Monster Reincarnation so I can discard a card (E Hero Sparkman) to return Burstinatrix to my hand. I then play the Spell, Miracle Fusion."

"This isn't good." Vanessa said quietly.

"Now I can remove from play Hero monsters on my field or in my Graveyard that are materials for an Elemental Hero Fusion Monster and Special Summon that Fusion Monster."

"Great." Ryusei said sarcastically.

"So Sparkman and Clayman are removed from play to summon Elemental Hero Thunder Giant (2400/1500). Thunder Giant, attack Ryusei's Maiden!"

"Go Trap Card, Mirror Force! This Trap activates when you declare an attack and allows me to destroy all monsters in attack mode on your side!"

"Hmm…I play a face-down monster and end my turn." Kazuma said, not bothered about losing his monster.

Ryusei: ("Okay! It seems Elemental Heroes are heavily Fusion based which burns the hand easily. Therefore, his face-down has to be Morphing Jar to replenish his hand. In that case!")

Ryusei drew his card and announced "I play a card face-down and then summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (1800/700) in attack mode!"

"Nicely done. Kycoo prevents players from removing monsters from play!" Shinji said.

"So Kazuma can't play Miracle Fusion anymore!" Vanessa said excitedly.

"Maiden of Macabre will attack your face-down!"

When Ryusei's Maiden attacked, the monster flipped up which, was a metallic orb with a blue circular window as an eye.

"Crap! It's Cyber Jar!"

"Yep. So all monsters are destroyed." Kazuma said. All the monsters on the field exploded one by one. "Then we both pick up five cards, show them to each other and Special Summon all Level 4's face-up or face-down."

Ryusei picked up his five cards and showed them (Cybernetic Magician, Magician's Valkyria, Spell Book of Power, Monster Reborn, and Double Spell).

"I summon Magician's Valkyria (1600/1800) in face-down defense!"

Kazuma picked up his five cards and revealed them (E Hero Avian, Fusion Recovery, Polymerization, E Hero Bubbleman and Skyscraper)

"I summon Avian (1000/1000) and Bubbleman (800/1200) in attack mode!"

"I play a card face-down and end my turn." Ryusei said.

"My turn then and I play Polymerization fusing Avian, Bubbleman and King of the Swamp as a substitute for Sparkman to form Elemental Hero Tempest (2800/2800)!"

The crowd were in awe of the monster that was just summoned; Ryusei however, wasn't bothered as usual. "Tempest will attack your face-down Valkyria." Tempest shot a blue energy ray from his gun which destroyed Valkyria. "I end my turn."

"My turn!" Ryusei drew his card and glanced at it. "I play Monster Reborn on Magician Valkyria and release it to summon Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000)! I then discard a card (Double Spell) to limit your Tempest's ATK to 2000!"

Cybernetic Magician shot a blast of light at Tempest cutting its ATK.

"Next I play my Trap, Spell Book of Power! I remove Spellcaster's Aid and Enemy Controller from play to increase my Mage's attack by 1000!" (Cybernetic Magician-3400/1000)

"Yes!" Shinji cheered.

"Cybernetic Magician, attack Tempest with Light Cyber Blast!"

LP (2500/3000)

"I end my turn."

Kazuma drew his card and smiled. "It's been fun Ryusei, you have some good skills but unfortunately for you I'm ending this duel on this turn! I play Heavy Storm which destroys all Spells and Traps on the field!"

Ryusei was unconcerned despite his face-down being destroyed but he was wary of what Kazuma was up to.

"I play Fusion Recovery which allows me to add 1 Polymerization and a Monster that was used for a Fusion Summon like Elemental Hero Avian from my graveyard."

"Then I'll activate Polymerization, fusing Avian and Burstinatrix to create Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (2100/1200)!"

"Nice monster but still too weak." Vanessa said.

"Not after I play the Field Spell, Skyscraper!" Tall large buildings appeared on the field which didn't bother Ryusei.

"When an Elemental Hero attacks a monster stronger than itself, Skyscraper gives it a 1000 point boost."

"So Flame Wingman will have 3100!" Shinji said astonished. Ryusei was unmoved from the news.

"It seems you like to play it cool Ryusei so maybe you want to think about this next bit of news. When Flame Wingman destroys a monster by battle, it inflicts damage equal to the attack of the destroyed monster." Ryusei was taken aback from the statement, realising that Kazuma was right in about winning on this turn.

"Flame Wingman attack, Cybernetic Magician!" Flame Wingman flew towards Cybernetic Magician but before it attacked, he flew up high into the air above the skyscrapers. Ryusei looked up, very tense at the situation as Wingman gained its 1000 ATK points (3100/1200).

"Go Sky Dive Scorcher!" Flame Wingman dived downwards and turned flaming red.

"RYUSEI!" Vanessa and Shinji shouted.

Ryusei looked straight in Wingman's eyes and braced for the attack.

To be continued.

ORIGINAL CARDS

Spellcaster's Aid  
Normal Spell  
Select 1 face-up Spellcaster-Type Monster you control. Reduce its ATK to 0 and add the ATK points to another Monster on your side of the field. Destroy one of the selected monsters during the End Phase of this turn.

Spell Book of Power  
Normal Trap  
Activate only during the Main Phase of a turn. Remove from play 2 Spell cards form your Graveyard to increase the ATK of one monster on your side of the field by 1000.


	8. Chapter 8 Birth Of A New Leader! Part 2

"Flame Wingman, attack Cybernetic Magician!"

Flame Wingman flew towards Cybernetic Magician but before it attacked, he flew up into the air above the skyscrapers. Ryusei looked up, very tense at the situation as Wingman gained its 1000 ATK points from Skyscraper (3100/1200).

"Go Sky Dive Scorcher!" Flame Wingman dived downwards and turned flaming red.

"RYUSEI!" Vanessa and Shinji shouted.

Ryusei looked straight in Wingman's eyes and braced for the attack.

Flame Wingman clashed with Cybernetic Magician causing a huge explosion. A large smoke cloud appeared covering everything on Ryusei's side of the field.

Kazuma smiled and said "Now you have to take damage equal to you're Magician's attack!"

Flame Wingman prepared to fire a shot at Ryusei but as the smoke cleared, Cybernetic Magician was still on the field. The audience was impressed by how Ryusei manage to escape Kazuma's attack. Kazuma looked at Ryusei, waiting for an explanation.

"I didn't really want to use it but I had no choice." Ryusei said.

"What do you mean?" Kazuma asked.

Ryusei went to his Deck pouch and pulled out a card to show to Kazuma, it was Defense Wizard (400/1700).

"See this card? When it's in my Graveyard I can remove it from play to prevent a Spellcaster from being destroyed by battle. However I still take damage from the attack."

LP (2500/2300)

"Nicely done" Kazuma said. Vanessa and Shinji both breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Ryusei put the card back in his pouch and continued.

"I must admit, that was a pretty swift move you pulled on me. However I don't buckle that easy. There is still a long way to go in this duel and I plan on giving my all to the end!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I end my turn."

Ryusei put his fingers on his deck and drew his card.

"My turn!"

**Chapter 8-Birth of a New Leader?! Part 2**

"I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600/1000) in attack mode! When he's summoned he gains a Spell Counter increasing its attack by 300 points (Breaker-1900/1000)! Next I discard my Apprentice Magician to limit your Wingman's attack to 2000, courtesy of Cybernetic Magician!"

The crowd cheered the move by Ryusei.

"Cybernetic Magician, attack Flame Wingman (2000/1200!)" The Magician fired a blast of white light which engulfed Flame Wingman, shattering it to pieces.

LP (2100/2300)

"Breaker will now attack directly!"

Kazuma flinched from the attack but kept his balance from falling over.

(200/2300)

"Finally I'll use Breaker's effect to remove its Spell Counter to destroy a Spell or Trap on the field like Skyscraper!" the crowd cheered Ryusei's excellent move.

"I end my turn."

"All right! Ryusei!" Shinji yelled.

"Good job!" Vanessa cheered. As the crowd continued cheering Kazuma was just about to start his turn.

"I thought you guys were on my side!" He joked. "Anyway I play Fifth Hope. By returning 5 Heroes from my Graveyard to the Deck I can shuffle and draw 2 cards. However, since it's the only card on my hand and field I can draw another on top."

Avian, Bubbleman, Tempest, Thunder Giant and Rampart Blaster returned to the Deck and Extra Deck respectively. Kazuma shuffled and drew his 3 cards.

"I summon Elemental Hero Stratos (1800/300) in defense mode. When he's summoned I can add a Hero from my Deck to my hand like Necroshade (1600/1800). I play two cards face-down and end my turn."

Ryusei: ("He must have a lot of faith to keep using up his hand. But anyway...")

Ryusei drew his card on his turn and moved straight onto the Battle Phase.

"Breaker will attack your Stratos!" As Breaker slashed Stratos in half, Kazuma smiled.

"I activate Hero Signal so I get to summon a Hero from my Deck when you destroy one of my monsters like Bubbleman (800/1200) in defense!"

"Cybernetic Magician attack Bubbleman!" As Bubbleman was destroyed Kazuma shook his head in disappointment.

"You should really be careful Ryusei because you never know what trap you're going to fall into." He said as he activated his Trap.

"That's Hero Counterattack!" Shinji exclaimed.

"This Trap can activate when you take out a Hero by battle. You select a random card and if it's a Hero I get to destroy a monster of yours and then summon it. But since I'm only holding one card you have to choose it." Kazuma revealed Elemental Hero Necroshade.

Ryusei: ("Clever play.")

"So I'll destroy your Cybernetic Magician and summon Necroshade (1600/1800) in attack mode!"

"I end my turn." Ryusei muttered.

"Good." Kazuma said as he drew his card. "Necroshade will attack Breaker!"

Ryusei was surprised by Kazuma's command but Shinji and Vanessa were not, already figuring out what Kazuma was up to. The two monsters destroyed each other and Kazuma revealed his plan.

"Now since Necroshade is in the Graveyard its effect allows me to summon a Hero without a release for one time only."

"Crap." Ryusei muttered.

Kazuma smiled at the response,

"Anyway, come out Elemental Hero Bladedge (2600/1800)!" A gold bull headed, muscle-bound monster appeared. "Your turn Ryusei."

Ryusei drew his card and hoped for the best. "I summon Apprentice Magician (400/800) in defense mode and end my turn."

"Fair enough. I draw and have Bladedge attack your monster." Bladedge charged forward and slashed Apprentice Magician with his arm.

(LP: 200/500)

"Great. Battle difference." Ryusei said sarcastically.

"You're catching on."

"Well my Apprentice Magician allows me to special summon a Level 2 Spellcaster from my Deck to the field in face-down defense, so I choose Old Vindictive Magician (450/600).

Kazuma growled a little knowing about Old Vindictive's effect. "I play a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn then!" Ryusei declared.

Vanessa: ("If things go right, Ryusei can win this turn and take the lead in this match!")

"I flip my Old Vindictive Magician to attack mode, thus triggering its effect. It destroys a monster on your side of the field!"

The mage twirled its staff and fired a purple shot causing Bladedge to explode. Kazuma still remained calm about the situation.

"Old Vindictive Magician attack Kazuma directly!" Vanessa and Shinji were looking in amazement of Ryusei's victory while the crowd was in awe of the duel coming to an end.

"Sorry Ryusei but I activate Hero Blast!"

"Hero Blast?"

"It's a handy Trap which allows me to add a Normal Elemental Hero from my Graveyard to my hand like Burstinatrix, and as a bonus, I can destroy a monster that has equal or less ATK than Burstinatrix." Old Vindictive shattered.

"I set a monster face-down and end my turn."

"Draw. I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200/800) and it will attack your face-down monster!" the monster flipped was Crystal Seer (100/100).

"When Crystal Seer is flipped I can pick up two cards from my Deck and add one to my hand and return one to the bottom of my Deck."

The two cards were Jowgen the Spiritualist and Magical Marionette. Ryusei added Marionette to his hand and put Jowgen to the bottom.

"I set a card and end my turn."

"This duel has been so awesome!" Vanessa said gleefully.

"You're right! It's been non-stop action! I just hope Ryusei can keep on battling to win." Shinji replied.

Location: Domino South Dorm

Hayate was in his room with Tasuku. The room was back in its clean state. All the replacement items were present with the room looking like it was never damaged. Tasuku was on his laptop working away when he received an email. It was sent from Kasumi Fujia. Tasuku opened it and the message was entailing her acceptance of the invitation.

"Okay. Kasumi is in too."

Hayate got up from his bed to read the email himself and asked,

"What's the status of everybody?"

"Well, almost everybody is in. Kasumi, Yuji and Ayaka have accepted their invitations. All is left is Kazuma."

"Typical." Hayate responded.

"You want me to send him a reminder?"

"No, leave it to me. It's been a while since I've seen him anyway."

Location: Domino East Dorm

The duel continued and it was Ryusei's turn. "I summon the Unhappy Maiden (0/100) in defense mode and end my turn."

"Is that it? I expected better Ryusei." Kazuma said as he drew his card. "I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart (1500/1600) in attack mode. Sorry Ryusei but this duel is over. Wildheart, attack his Maiden!"

As the maiden was destroyed Kazuma was about to declare an attack with Burstinatrix but noticed something strange.

"That weird feeling you have, that's your Battle Phase ending courtesy of my Maiden." Ryusei proclaimed.

"Hmm…I shift Burstinatrix to defense mode and end my turn."

"My turn." He smiled at what he saw. "I summon my Magician's Valkyria (1600/1800) in attack mode. Magician's Valkyria will take out your Wildheart!"

LP: (100/500)

Ryusei: ("His face-down didn't destroy my monster or stop my attack. In that case!")

Ryusei then looked at Magical Dimension and Magical Marionette in his hand.

"I now play Magical Dimension! By releasing a Spellcaster monster I can Special Summon a Spellcaster from my hand and then destroy a monster on the field. So I release Valkyria to summon Magical Marionette (2000/1000) and take out you're Burstinatrix!"

Ryusei: ("Hopefully this should be it.")

"Since its still his Battle Phase Ryusei can now attack with Marionette!" Vanessa said in celebration.

"Magical Marionette attack Kazuma directly!" Ryusei declared.

Marionette sent her puppet forward, which was holding two knives. It went and slashed Kazuma twice but he had no reaction.

LP (100/500)

"What happened?" Shinji asked, completely lost at the situation.

Ryusei looked and saw Kazuma had activated a Trap card.

"Took you long enough to notice my Hero Spirit Trap. When a Hero is destroyed by battle I can reduce one monster's Battle Damage to 0 in the same turn." Kazuma explained.

"When Valkyria destroyed Wildheart."

"Correct."

"I end my turn."

"My turn then." Kazuma looked at his card for a moment. "Ryusei, I must thank you for an excellent duel. It's been a while since I've been pushed to my limits. You are a very good duelist."

"Same thing goes for you."

"However, unfortunately for you, you're skills hasn't been good enough to win today."

"You said something like that earlier and look what happened."

"True, but this time there is nothing you can do to stop this. I activate Miracle Fusion! This time I will remove from play my Flame Wingman and my King of the Swamp as a substitute for Sparkman to summon my favourite monster!"

A new armoured plated warrior appeared emitting a very bright light from its body.

"Whoa…" Vanessa said quietly in awe. The crowd was amazed at the new monster that was summoned.

"Ryusei, meet Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman (2500/2100)!"

"That's a nice monster, but since you played a Spell my Marionette gets a Counter and 200 extra points (2200/1000) so victory won't be happening this turn."

"You would think that but my Wingman has a very unique effect. For every Elemental Hero in my graveyard it gets 300 extra ATK."

"Wait, what?"

"So since I have six Heroes in my Graveyard my Wingman gets 1800 more ATK points (4300/2100). Shining Flare Wingman, attack Ryusei's Marionette with Solar Flare!"

Wingman created a luminous green flame in his hands and threw it at Marionette instantly destroying it.

LP (100/0)

The crowd applauded as thanks to a fantastic duel. Both players deactivated their Duel Disks and walked to shake hands.

"Great duel Ryusei." Kazuma said.

"Likewise." Ryusei responded.

This action then caused a small amount of confusion with the crowd.

"What happened to the match?" someone shouted.

"What match?" Kazuma responded.

"We heard this is a match duel to become Duel Leader."

"First time I've heard of that. I just wanted to duel Ryusei to test his skills. There were no plans of a Duel Leader match. Someone's been pulling your leg. Unless you knew about this Ryusei?"

The crowd eagerly anticipated Ryusei's answer.

"No. I heard he was the best so I wanted to see how I rate with the best. Where did you hear this from?"

This caused some commotion as the crowd was then looking for Vanessa. That was when Shinji then noticed that Vanessa disappeared from the crowd, and couldn't be found. Kazuma and Ryusei just smiled at each other as the crowd dissipated in disappointment.

"Vanessa is not going to be too happy with us selling her out like that." Ryusei said.

"Well she should learn not to get involved with everything. Some things need to be left alone with the people in question." Kazuma replied.

"Anyway Kazuma, I was thinking that you should enter the tournament."

"Why?"

"Well why not? It's just a few duels. Plus with what I've been hearing about reputations of dorms and all that it would be nice for Domino East to lose the tag it has right now. If you don't do great, it stays the same so you don't really lose anything."

"Don't you want to enter? It's an opportunity to face Hayate again."

"I couldn't care less if I never duel him again. Plus I think you're the better person to represent us in this. After all you are the Duel Leader."

"True. Though I prefer 'Unofficial Duel Leader.'"

"Anyway I'm gonna head back to the dorm so see you around."

The pair shook hands again. As Ryusei walked towards the dorm, Kazuma walked towards the main building.

Location: University Car Park

Kazuma was walking to his car (blue convertible) and he was about to get in to go home and then he heard a voice he recognised saying.

"I was just about to swing by you're place."

Kazuma turned to see it was Hayate on his black Kawasaki motorbike.

"But since you're here, you've saved me a journey."

"Can I help you with something?" Kazuma asked sternly.

Hayate got off his bike and walked up to Kazuma. "I was wondering whether you are entering my tournament, that's all."

"I'm thinking about it."

"What's there to think about? This is a chance for you to become a legend here."

"I'm a realist Hayate, for the years we've known each other you should know that. So I think you're claims are a little over exaggerated."

"How can I forget? Kazuma the realist!" Hayate said sarcastically. "That has always been your problem. You don't take chances, everything has to be played safe with you, you analyse too much. You assume you have no chance because you know the strength of the other Duel Leaders despite the fact that anything can happen!"

Kazuma just stared at Hayate sternly as he continued.

"My father told me that risks bring great rewards, maybe you should learn from that."

"What you say about me may be true, but what about you?"

"What about me?"

"This tournament may be a fancy way to determine the best duelist here, but we both know this is a farce."

"What are you talking about?!"

"You're problem is that you cannot accept the fact that no matter how good you are at something, there may be somebody who is better than you! That's why you are doing this event. You don't want the people to think that Ryusei, a 1st year from Domino East is better than the Duel Leader of Domino South!"

"That's bullshit!"

"You know it's true! If it bothers you so much why don't you do the simple thing and have a rematch?"

"I'm the University Champion! I'm the best duelist here! Why should I have a rematch with scum like him?!"

"I know why, you're too scared."

"What the hell did you just say?!"

"You heard me! You're scared in case Ryusei's win wasn't a fluke and he beats you again! So instead of facing him head-on you're doing all this crap!"

"I'm not doing this for myself! All this crap is for the students! When something happens you need to do something to restore faith to the public!"

"Another thing you're Dad taught you?" Kazuma said sarcastically.

"Yeah it was actually, and it's that kind of advice that will make me a success and people like you will stay a failure!"

Kazuma looked furiously at Hayate as he turned and walked away and got on his bike.

"Up to you if you enter the tournament or not. I don't honestly care. But if you do enter I would really like you to make it to the final so I can humiliate you in front of the whole university. But as you said yourself, you're a realist so it will probably not happen."

Hayate put his helmet on and started his bike, he prepared to ride off but Kazuma had something to say.

"There is still one question I want to ask?"

"What?"

"What happened? I mean, what happened to us?"

Hayate kept silent looking away. An image of a pretty girl flashed in his eyes. She was average height and had long wavy dark brown hair reaching her lower back. She had innocent brown eyes and was wearing a purple jumper and brown jeans. Hayate broke the silence and said.

"18, 11, 06."

He rode off on to the main road and out of the University. Kazuma was thinking about the numbers, confused at what Hayate said.

Kazuma: ("November 18th 2006. What's the deal with that? We were back in high school then and were best friends also. But I can't remember anything that happened that caused us to fall out. If anything it's his Dad that caused it. But for me to know for sure I really have to check things out to find the answer. In the meantime, Hayate, you've got to learn to face things head-on. You'll thank me for this.")

Kazuma got in his car, started the engine and drove out of the University. He reached the junction and slowly turned right at the junction to head back to his place.

Location: Domino East Dorm

It was early evening. Around about 6pm. Ryusei and Shinji were in their room just chilling when they heard a knock on the door. Since Ryusei didn't move from his chair Shinji got up from his bed to answer it. As he opened the door he saw Vanessa standing outside.

"I see the crowd didn't get to you then." Shinji joked.

In response, Vanessa slapped the back of Shinji's head.

"Not funny!" she answered back while Shinji rubbed the back of his head.

As she walked into the room Ryusei noticed Vanessa entering the room.

"Hey Va…" Vanessa slapped him on the back of his head before Ryusei could finish his sentence.

"What was that for?" Ryusei asked whilst rubbing his head.

"That's for selling me down the river!" Vanessa said loudly.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean!"

"If you're talking about the match Duel with Kazuma it was your own fault."

"How is it my fault?!"

"Look Vanessa, I know you had good intentions and what you did earlier was thoughtful. Not many people would do that for their friends."

Vanessa calmed down after hearing this.

"I feel a 'but' coming though."

"But this thing with Hayate is my problem to deal with, not yours. What he's doing may seem unfair but it doesn't bother me so I choose it ignore it and him. That's my choice and hopefully you'll accept that decision."

Vanessa sighed in acceptance of Ryusei's statement.

"Okay, I do. But I still think you're wrong though." She said stubbornly

Ryusei just smiled and then the guys heard a little beep.

"It came from your PDA Ryusei." Shinji said.

As Ryusei picked it up he noticed he had 2 email messages, both from Kazuma. The first one had the subject "READ FIRST!" and the second one "University Tournament". Ryusei clicked on the first one and the message read.

_After thinking about it I realised that you're the man. Enjoy!_

"What the hell?" Ryusei said.

"What does that even mean?" Shinji asked.

"Go to the other message!" an agitated Vanessa said.

As Ryusei clicked on the second message (University Tournament) the three of them read silently and when they finished they all shouted in unison

"WHAAAAT?!"

Location: Domino South Dorm

Tasuku was still in Hayate's room working on his laptop. A few seconds later Hayate walked into the room with some food, their dinner for the evening. Tasuku then got an email alert. He went to check his email and got a message from Kazuma with the subject "University Tournament".

"Finally got an email form Kazuma" Tasuku said.

"Hmm. Decided to enter has he? Looking forward to it." Hayate smirked.

As Tasuku opened the message he lost his smile.

"What the hell?!" Tasuku said loudly.

Hayate went over to his laptop to read the message himself. After reading this Hayate clenched his fist in anger and punched his desk shouting.

"Kazuma! You son of a bitch!"

On the laptop screen Kazuma's email read.

_Hayate_

_I am writing to let you know that I cannot make the tournament this time around. I got a call from my Dad and he needs an extra pair of hands for some big party his restaurant has been booked for in a few weeks. So I have to go to Sapporo in a couple of weeks to help out (obviously the tourney is at the same time). Anyway for me not to be a nuisance and disturb the format of this tournament I've decided to take your offer of naming a representative for Domino East to take my place. I think you will agree that he is suitable. Anyway take care man._

_Kazuma_

_Representative Details__  
__Student No: _**_05628392_**_  
__Student Name: _**_Ryusei Fujiwara_**

End of chapter

Preview: Hayate is clearly unhappy of Ryusei's entry to the tournament. So Tasuku, behind Hayate's back challenges Ryusei to a duel with his place in the tournament on the line. Ryusei declines as he has coursework due for the next day. Seeing this as an opportunity to pay him back for what he did on the first day Shinji duels against Tasuku in Ryusei's place.  
Chapter 9-Returning The Favour, Shinji's Thanks! (title tbc)

ORIGINAL CARDS

Defense Wizard  
DARK/Spellcaster/3/400/1700  
During damage calculation, you can remove from play this card from your Graveyard to prevent a Spellcaster-Type monster you control from being destroyed by this battle.


	9. Chapter 9 Returning The Favour

Location: Domino University Main Library

It was mid-afternoon on a dry blustery day. Inside the Main Library on the top floor of the 3-floor library was Tasuku.

He was printing out flyers advertising the upcoming tournament. His mind wandered as flyer, after flyer, after flyer came out of the printer. Eventually someone grabbed one from the printer. Tasuku focused to see who it was and it turned out to be Yuri.

"Hmm…" he said to himself as he read the flyer from top to bottom. "Looks good, all the important information is there and it's nicely presented. Not sure about the colour scheme though so will only give it a seven out of ten."

"What do you want?" Tasuku asked sternly, snatching the flyer back from Yuri.

"Nothing man! Just doing my own thing now, but more importantly, how's Hai doing?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Well I imagine he would be pretty pissed that Ryusei is in his great tournament."

Hearing that name Ryusei made Tasuku's blood boil. His face turned into a very serious look as he started crushing the flyer he took form Yuri.

"So it is true." Yuri said intriguingly.

"Unfortunately it is" Tasuku replied in a low tone "But how did you know that? It wasn't supposed to be revealed so we can find a way to sort it out."

"Seems to be the talk going around these days, It's hard to keep secrets in this uni." Hayate joked. Tasuku however, wasn't in a laughing mood. "Anyway from what you just said I'm assuming you're gonna do something about it?"

"I'm gonna find a way to remove him from the event."

"Really? Why?"

"Because Hai said himself that he would rather take the final place in the early rounds instead of that scumbag being there."

"Huh. Well all the best with that, I'm out of here."

"Wait a minute!" Tasuku called out as Yuri started walking away, earning himself a call of silence from nearby students. Yuri turned round and said,

"Look man, I'm not part of your little group anymore so it's not my problem. Catch you later."

As Yuri continued walking away, Tasuku sighed at the situation. Yuri then stopped and added,

"However if I was still there, I would suggest you should look closer to home as to how this information got out so quickly."

He continued to walk and left the library. As Tasuku collected the last flyer from the printer he stared at it, thinking whether Yuri means what he thinks he means.

**Chapter 9-Returning the Favour, Shinji's Thanks**

Location: Domino East Dorm, Room 42

It was early afternoon the next day, with the winds not easing off from the previous day. Ryusei was sitting at his desk, working on a diagram of sorts. Shinji was revising for an in-class test at his desk and Vanessa was working on her own assignment on the floor.

Ryusei thought he finished the diagram, but after he looked over it he realised he made a mistake, which led onto other mistakes. Therefore, he scrunched up the paper and threw it in the bin.

"That's like the 6th time you've done that! What are you doing that's so difficult?" Vanessa asked.

"Data flow diagrams." Ryusei answered.

"That doesn't sound too difficult."

"It can be." Shinji said.

"Really?" she sarcastically asked.

Ryusei then flicked through his textbook and showed a page to Vanessa and said,

"Well if you can understand this then you are more than welcome to help me."

Vanessa looked at the page and her eyes widened.

Vanessa: ("What the hell?!")

All she saw was lots of boxes, arrows and circles randomly fitted together to some weird diagram.

"Umm…What is that?"

"That is a Level 3 data flow diagram. I'm guessing from your face that you can't help so if you don't mind."

Ryusei closed the textbook and put it on his desk and carried on working on his new diagram.

"I take back what I said, but don't worry about that too much as you'll get it soon."

"Hopefully as it's in for tomorrow"

"I just said you will get it, and after that, you should then be focusing on the tournament."

"Is there ever gonna be a day where you don't mention that thing?" Ryusei asked, weary of the constant talk around the university about it.

"Maybe when it ends?"

Ryusei put his pencil down and just sighed at the response.

"Come on, don't be like that! It's gonna be great and you're gonna be great."

"I'm more concerned with Kazuma throwing me into the deep end."

"I'm sure he has his reasons."

"But why me? There are so many other students he could have chosen."

"Umm, No there weren't. Kazuma said himself it's been a while since he's been tested so therefore at this moment, you're the next best duellist. YOU fit the bill."

"Yeah but…"

"But nothing! Just accept that you're in this already!" Vanessa snapped.

"It's true Ryusei." Shinji said "Whether you like it or not, you are the best duellist in our dorm after Kazuma. So it is more or less you're duty to enter if the best person can't."

"True."

"Plus it's just a tournament, nothing major, and there is not really any pressure on you compared to the others, so just go there and do your best._"_

"Exactly! Just deal with it head on! Just like you do with any problems you happen to come across!" Vanessa said with a smile.

"Fine. I won't complain anymore. I'll just accept it and do my best." Ryusei muttered. Vanessa and Shinji smiled at the response, which made Ryusei also smile. But then Ryusei's stomach growled loudly to break the moment.

"That's one way to kill a moment." Vanessa joked.

"Come to think of it I haven't eaten all day. I need to go to the café."

"I'll come with you. I gotta go to the library anyway to get another book for revision." Shinji said as he packed his work into his bag.

Vanessa deep in thought over her own comments on about dealing with problems head on then replied.

"I'm gonna go back to my room. There's something I've got to take care of."

The three went out of the room with Ryusei and Shinji heading out of the dorm. Vanessa went into her room, put on her Duel Disk and grabbed her Deck and headed out of the dorm also.

Location: Domino South Dorm

Hayate was busy working on an essay on market auditing on his laptop in his room. Tasuku then knocked on the door and walked in.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I'm just putting the finishing touches on my essay. Afterwards I will set up the little draw for who faces who in the opening round." Hayate responded.

"Are you including…?"

"I'm thinking about it. Kazuma is a right bastard for doing that."

"Well if not, why don't you enter? You said it yourself that you would rather be in it yourself. So then do it."

"I would if the news didn't spread like wildfire."

"About that…I met Yuri yesterday" Tasuku said tentatively.

"How's he doing?"

"Well he heard the news also and says we should take a look closer to home."

"Meaning?"

"I think he means that it must have come from here, possibly within the circle."

"What did you say?!"

"I know, I know, I don't believe it either, but at the same time there would be no harm in checking it out just in case."

Hayate paused, thinking for a moment before saying "All right. I'll BRIEFLY look into it. But that still doesn't solve the other problem."

"Leave that with me and hopefully I'll have something by later today."

Tasuku grabbed his bag and went out of the room.

Location: University Main Building

It was 2pm, and Ryusei and Shinji were heading back to the dorm after lunch.

"I feel much better now." Ryusei said.

"I imagine you would, doing work on an empty stomach is not exactly smart." Shinji replied.

"You're telling me, but I got a few new ideas now. So with no distractions I should be able to do this diagram by tonight."

As they continued chatting cutting through the football fields as usual, a voice from behind them said "I've finally caught up with you."

Both of them turned round as they saw it was Tasuku who spoke earlier.

"Ryusei Fujiwara." He said

"What do you want?" Ryusei replied sternly, recognising him as a Domino South member.

"We never actually met, but I'm Tasuku Miyamoto."

"Aren't you organising this tournament with Hayate?" Shinji asked.

"That's correct, which is why I'm here on official tournament business."

"Meaning what?" Ryusei asked in a serious manner.

"Meaning that I know you don't really want to enter this tournament and Hayate doesn't want you there either, so I'm offering you the chance to drop out."

"Is Hayate really that much of a coward to let someone else do his dirty work?"

"He doesn't know I'm here doing this. So what do you say?"

Ryusei paused for a while thinking about his decision and then he gave his answer,

"No thanks."

"No?"

"That's right. Even if I wanted to Kazuma chose me to be the rep and is counting on me, so I won't let him down, you'll be seeing me at the tournament."

"Hm. Fine, then how about this? We duel."

"Come again?"

"Simple, we duel. With you're spot as the prize and me representing Hayate, the winner gets the final tournament spot."

"What if I refuse?"

"You'll forfeit your entry."

"That's not fair!" Shinji exclaimed.

"Nothing's fair in business! So what's it going to be Ryusei?"

Ryusei gritted his teeth as he's between a rock and a hard place.

Ryusei ("This is a real pain. If I duel I jeopardise my assignment, a low grade will put me at a disadvantage for the next coursework. But if I don't duel then I'm out of the tournament, and I've just promised to my friends that I'll do it.")

Shinji noticed that Ryusei was struggling with his decision. He then remembered what happened in the first week in University, when Ryusei saved him from Yuri and his gang. At that point he realised that he's never had the chance to pay him back for what he did that day and then saw an opportunity.

"Tasuku" He said. As Tasuku turned to Shinji he carried on saying "I'll duel you, as a rep for Ryusei."

"What?" Ryusei asked.

"Not gonna happen." Tasuku answered seriously.

"Why not? If you're a rep for Hayate, Ryusei should be allowed a rep also if needed." Shinji replied back with a determined look on his face.

"Fine, I'll let you decide Ryusei as to who duels, yourself or your friend here?"

Ryusei turned to Shinji but before he could say anything Shinji said to him.

"Look Ryusei. You don't have the time to be hanging around here, you got work to do. Plus this is my way of paying you back, so I'm going to do this. Nothing you will say will make me change my mind."

Ryusei then replied "I was actually going to say thank you for helping me out. You're a true friend Shinji; I'll see you later and all the best." Ryusei patted Shinji's shoulder before heading back to the dorm.

Both players then got their Duel Disks and put them on. They shuffled their Decks, inserted them and activated their Duel Disks shouting "Duel!"

LP (Tasuku-4000/Shinji-4000)

"I'll start" Tasuku said as he drew his card. "I first summon Batteryman D (0/1900) in defense mode." A large yellow and black battery with green and silver head, arms and legs appeared on the field.

"I'll play a card face-down and end my turn."

Shinji: ("Batteryman cards. They're usually weak but very strong when together. I have to stop him from getting too many monsters out.")

"My turn then!" Shinji declared. "I summon Command Knight (1200/1900) in attack mode and when she's summoned she boosts all Warriors by 400 ATK points (1600/1900). Next I equip her with Malevolent Nuzzler, giving her another 700 ATK (2300/1900). Command Knight will attack your Batteryman!"

Tasuku was not bothered by the destruction of his monster.

"I play a card face-down and end my…"

"In your End Phase," Tasuku interrupted "I activate my face down Limit Reverse, which Special Summons a monster from my Graveyard with less than 1000ATK in attack mode so Batteryman D (0/1900) comes back."

Shinji: ("He's obviously going to release that Batteryman D for something better.")

"As I said, I end my turn"

Tasuku declared his turn by drawing. "I release Batteryman D to summon Batteryman Charger (1800/1200). When he's summoned I can special summon a Batteryman monster from my hand or Deck such as Batteryman AA (0/0)! When Batteryman AA is in attack mode it gains 1000 ATK (1000/0)."

"Despite all this, nether of them are strong enough to take out Command Knight."

"True, but Charger gets 300 more ATK and DEF for each Thunder-Type monster I got."

Charger created an electric current with AA to gain his points (2400/1800)

"Charger attack Command Knight!"

"I activate Ready for Intercepting which flips my Command Knight to face-down defense! So I take no damage." Shinji declared as his monster was destroyed.

"True but now you're open for a direct attack. Go AA!"

AA fired a shot of electricity at Shinji causing him to flinch.

LP (4000/3000)

"I end my turn."

"My turn and I'll summon Marauding Captain (1200/400) and when he's summoned I can summon another Level 4 monster like my Exiled Force (1000/1000)! Marauding Captain attacks your Batteryman AA!"

He charged forward in a heroic manner, drawing his sword and slashing the monster, causing it to shatter.

LP (3800/3000)

"Next I use my Exiled Force's effect. By releasing it I can destroy a monster of yours so Batteryman Charger is destroyed!"

Tasuku still didn't look too fussed about the situation.

"I end my turn."

"Hm. My turn." Tasuku drew his card and smiled "I remove from play my Charger and D from play so that I can then summon Batteryman Industrial Strength (2600/0)!"

"Whoa." Shinji said in awe of the monster.

"Industrial Strength, attack his Captain!"

The monster put the two connecting leads it was holding together, above its head. It then shot a current at Shinji, who fell on the ground from the impact of the attack.

LP (3800/1600)

As he started to get up, Tasuku chuckled slightly "Are you sure you want to continue?"

Shinji just looked sternly at Tasuku giving his answer from his determined eyes.

"I play Card Destruction so we discard our hands and draw the same number we discarded (Tasuku-3, Shinji-2). I'll end my turn with a monster face-down and two face-down cards. Your turn now Shinji and you better make it count, after all, Ryusei is counting on you."

Shinji was slightly nervous but clenched his fist believing he can get through this.

Location: University Main Building

Elsewhere Vanessa watched two girls leaving the cafeteria. Instead of leaving through the usual front entrance they went through the back entrance of the cafeteria. This is because it is slightly closer to the route towards the Domino North Dormitory. Vanessa quickly followed the two girls and caught up with them on their way to their dorm (a wide pathway with a field of grass on either side).

"Hey!" She called out to the girls.

As they both turned round on the left was Kasumi and Mitsuko was on the right.

"Vanessa!" Mitsuko surprisingly said.

Kasumi just looked at Vanessa and said "Am I supposed to know you from somewhere?" she asked coldly.

"Yeah you do. Osaka if you don't remember!" Vanessa said with venom.

"I don't."

Vanessa gritted her teeth in annoyance to Kasumi's response.

"Well then I will just have to refresh her memory." She replied as she put her Deck into her Duel Disk and activated it.

"You… are challenging me?"

"Damn straight! What you said in Osaka pissed me off! You can't just treat people like that! Plus that comment about a two-turn win? What the hell was that about?! Do you think you're so great that you can just mouth off to anybody?!"

Kasumi just continued staring at Vanessa, not saying a word.

"I guess not. Maybe you're just all talk. Maybe you just say things like that to sound cool, but you're nothing more than a silly little girl trying to mix with the big leagues." she smirked.

"Vanessa, don't!" Mitsuko said worryingly.

"That's right! You're just a little girl who tries to sound great but probably couldn't win a duel against a little kid, let alone a student in this uni!"

Vanessa: ("If that doesn't get her to duel then I don't know what will.")

"Lend me you're Duel Disk Mitsuko." Kasumi said calmly.

Mitsuko took it out of her bag slowly, reluctant to give it to her.

Kasumi put on her Duel Disk, pulled her Deck out of her pouch and shuffled, with her eyes fixed on Vanessa the whole time.

"Word of advice. You should really learn when to shut your mouth because one day, it's gonna get you into a hole you won't be able to dig yourself out of."

"You're accepting then?"

"Only because you've given me a chance for a warm up before the tournament."

"Wait a minute! You're in the tournament?!" Vanessa asked shocked at what Kasuimi said "So that means you're…"

"Kasumi Fujia, Duel Leader of Domino North."

"Oh crap…" Vanessa muttered under her breath "It doesn't matter who you are, I'll still take you down!"

The pair drew their five cards and said "Duel!"

LP (Kasumi-4000/Vanessa-4000)

The wind picked up slightly blowing both players' hair before settling down again.

"Since I challenged, I'll…"

"My turn." Kasumi interrupted Vanessa "I set a monster face-down and two cards face-down. Turn end."

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT! I WAS GOING FIRST!" Vanessa shouted.

"You were too slow." Kasumi replied calmly.

Vanessa growled angrily as her hatred for Kasumi grew more and more.

"Since this is the first time you've faced me there is something you should know. I'm straight to the point. If you waste my time I get pissed, if you slow down the pace, I get pissed, if you try and chat, I get pissed. So you really have to work hard so that you don't piss me off."

"Whatever. My turn." Vanessa declared as she studied her hand (Marshmallon, Divine Wrath, Dark Bribe, Neo Parshath, Airknight Parshath, Layard the Liberator).

Vanessa: ("I wish I had a Solemn Judgement early but anyway, the good thing is I can get my best monster in my second turn, so lets see how she would deal with that.")

"Right now, you are officially wasting my time." Kasumi coldly said.

"Shut up! I set a monster face-down and two cards face-down. Now let's see what you can do."

Kasumi drew her card silently. "I flip my face-down monster Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter (200/100)" A vicious snow-white wolf appeared with gold and white armour around its hind legs and stomach.

Vanessa: ("Lightsworns?!")

"Its effect allows me to take out a card on the field so I choose your monster."

"Don't think so as I'll activate Divine Wrath! By discarding a card (Layard the Liberator) I can negate the effect and destroy the monster!"

A lightning strike hit and shattered Ryko.

Kasumi unfazed continued with her move "I activate Monster Reborn."

"Sorry but my Dark Bribe negates that and forces you to draw again!"

As her spell disintegrated Kasumi drew her card, glanced at it and played it straight away.

"I activate Solar Recharge so by discarding a Lightsworn monster (Lumina) I get to draw two cards and then send the top two cards of my Deck to the Graveyard (Wulf, Brain Control). Since Wulf, Lightsworn Beast (2100/400) was sent from the Deck to the Graveyard I can Special Summon it in attack mode."

Vanessa: ("Don't panic, Marshmallon can't be destroyed by battle so it's all good")

"I next release my Wulf to summon Celestia, Lightsworn Angel (2300/200). When Celestia is summoned I can send the top four cards of my Deck to the Graveyard (Garoth, Beckoning Light, Jain, and Pot of Avarice) to destroy up to two cards on the field."

"What?" Vanessa said in disbelief, but before she could grasp what is going on, a blast of light from Celestia destroyed her monster.

"Oh no." she whispered.

"Next is my Trap card Glorious Illusion, which allows me to Special Summon a Lightsworn monster from my Grave like Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner (1000/1000). Her effect discards a card form my hand (Aurkus) to summon a Lightsworn from my Graveyard like Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior (1850/1300)."

Vanessa was in complete amazement of what just happened.

Vanessa: ("What…just…happened?")

"Lightsworns, triple attack!"

All three monsters rushed forward and one by one, attacked Vanessa who fell to the ground in the aftermath.

LP (4000/0)

Kasumi sighed and said "Shame. I thought you would actually be a decent warm-up. Turns out you were the one who was all talk, so thanks for wasting five minutes of my life." She deactivated the Duel Disk and walked away. As Vanessa sat up Mitsuko looked at her sadly and then turned to follow Kasumi. Vanessa got up, dusted herself off and walked back to her dorm with her head down.

Back at the football fields the other duel continued. Shinji just drew his card to start his turn "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards and then activate Swords of Revealing Light so you can't attack for three turns."

"That card flips my Batteryman Micro-Cell (100/100) and when he's flipped I can summon another level 4 Batteryman from my Deck such as AA (1000/0) in attack mode." Tasuku declared.

"I'll set a monster, a face-down and end my turn." Shinji said quietly.

"My turn then and I use my Industrial Strength's effect. I remove Batteryman C from my Graveyard to destroy a Monster and a Spell or Trap on the field."

"What?!"

"So your Swords and your monster are destroyed and now you're wide open."

"Go Threatening Roar! So you can't declare an attack this turn!"

"Lucky. I set a card face-down. I end my turn."

Shinji: ("This is probably my last turn so I gotta make it count!")

As he drew his card he hoped for the best and he got Monster Reborn. As he saw the cards in his hand he smiled, thinking how he can turn this duel around.

"I play Monster Reborn bringing back my Freed the Matchless General (2300/1700)!"

"So?"

"So now, I summon a Tuner monster, Nitro Synchron (300/100)!"

"A Tuner?"

"I tune my level 2 Nitro Synchron with my level 5 Freed!" Nitro Synchron exploded into 2 stars which formed into green rings. The rings then descended on Freed morphing him into 5 single stars, and then a large pillar of green light appeared.

"Synchro Summon! Blaze on, Nitro Warrior (2800/1800)!" A green muscle bound creature with black armour flew into the air with the jet pack on his back. It then descended down to an almighty landing.

"Crap." Tasuku said.

"When Nitro Synchron is sent to the graveyard for a Synchro Summon of a Nitro monster I can draw a card." Shinji drew his card and noticed he can win.

"I equip my Nitro Warrior with Junk Barrage!"

"What's that?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Nitro Warrior attacks Industrial Strength!"

Nitro Warrior prepared himself to attack.

"Also, since I activated a Spell Card. My Warrior gains 1000ATK at the Damage Step (3800/1800)! Go, Dynamite Knuckle!"

Nitro Warrior flew forward with two fists punching the Batteryman, causing it to explode.

LP (2600/1600)

"Next Junk Barrage takes effect. When I destroy a monster by battle, you take damage equal to half the attack of the destroyed monster!"

Tasuku put his arms up in defense as a mini meteor shower landed on his side of the field.

LP (1300/1600)

"That all you got?!" Tasuku demanded.

"No actually as my monster has another effect. Since I destroyed a monster I can shift a monster on your side from defense to attack mode and then attack that monster!"

"No way!"

"Even though he loses its ATK bonus (2800/1800) it still has enough to take you out! So I switch Micro-Cell (100/100) into attack mode! Nitro Warrior, attack!"

As Nitro Warrior prepared to attack by pulling back his fist Tasuku had something to say.

"I activate my face-down Return from the Different Dimension so I pay half my Life Points to bring back Batteryman Charger (1800/1200) and Batteryman D (0/1900) in defense and Batteryman D prevents Thunder monsters from being attacked except itself!"

LP (650/1600)

Nitro changed his attack to Batteryman D which was then destroyed. Shinji growled in annoyance but was slightly confident about victory.

"I end my turn and you're and Charger is now removed from play."

Tasuku drew his card and then smirked. "For a member of Domino East you're not that bad, but not good enough. I activate my first face-down Burial of the Different Dimension. Now I can put 3 of my removed monsters such as AA, Charger and C back into the Graveyard."

Shinji: ("Is he summoning another Industrial Strength?")

"Next is my other face-down, Portable Battery Pack. This Trap allows me to summon two Batteryman from my Graveyard in attack mode so I choose Batteryman AA (0/0) and Batteryman C. Plus since 2 AA's are in attack they get 1000ATK for each one (Both AA's 2000/0)."

Shinji was looking slightly concerned about his plan.

"Now to win, I activate from my hand, Short Circuit."

"Short Circuit?"

"Yes, Short Circuit. It's a handy Spell that I can use when I have three Batteryman monsters on the field. It lets me destroy all your cards."

"No! It can't be!" Shinji exclaimed as all his cards exploded.

"Batteryman AA, attack him directly!"

LP (650/0)

Shinji went down on his knees and punched the ground in anger. Tasuku just smiled and said "I'll leave you to tell Ryusei the good news." As he walked away.

Shinji: ("Ryusei, I'm sorry.")

Location: Domino South Dorm

It was mid evening, nearing to 7pm, with calmer winds compared to earlier. Hayate was at his desk working on his Deck with lots of cards on the table. Tasuku just knocked on Hayate's door and entered with a smile on his face.

"You all right?" Tasuku asked.

"Not really." Hayate replied seriously.

"Why, what happened?"

"I've disbanded my circle."

"What?! Why?"

"After a quick investigation it turns out it did come from inside. So Yuri was right."  
"So what did you do?"

"I called a meeting to find out the truth, they covered it up so it was obvious. But they did admit they lost faith in me after my duel. So I disbanded it. I only need people I can trust like you and like Yuri, so don't worry about it."

"Okay man. If you think that's for the best then fine, I agree with you. But more importantly, about Ryusei."

"He's staying in." Hayate interrupted.

"What?!"

"Kazuma was right, if he makes it to the final which I doubt he will anyway but if he does, it is an opportunity to settle the score. I need to deal with him head on and by myself."

"Fair enough." Tasuku said quietly, annoyed at the fact he just wasted his afternoon. As he turned his head he noticed Hayate's deck and a load of cards on the table, he then noticed a couple of Jinzo cards on the desk.

"You took Jinzo out of your deck?!"

"Just for now. The Deck I had wasn't good enough for victory last time so I've changed it. This Deck will retain my title for me. More importantly I've found a little program which would automatically do the draw for the first round."

Tasuku: ("What's going on here? The circle, the tournament and leaving out Jinzo? I've never seen him make that many snap decisions in a short space of time.")

They both went to Hayate's laptop as he ran the program. It was cycling threw the selections at super speed and randomly stopped after 30 seconds and the matches were revealed. They looked at the draw and they both said,

"Interesting."

Location: Domino East Dorm

Ryusei just finished his data flow diagram and gave a huge sigh of relief. Like a weight has been removed off his shoulders. As he got up from his chair Shinji just entered the room.

"Don't worry about it." Ryusei said.

Shinji looked up at Ryusei and said "How did…"

"I figured if you won you would have came here straight away. But as I said don't worry about it."

"But…"

"You helped me out when I needed it, and that means a lot more to me than whether I can take part in some event, so again I thank you for bailing me out."

Shinji gave a little smile and then a beep came from Ryusei's PDA which turned out to be an email alert.

"It's from Hayate!" Ryusei said surprisingly.

"What's it say?"

Ryusei opened the email and it read,

_Fellow Competitors_

_The draw of the first round of the University-Inter-Dorm Tournament has been completed__. The following matches will take place in 8 days time:_

_Ayaka Uchiha vs. Kasumi Fujia_

_Yuji Nakata vs. Ryusei Fujiwara_

"You're still in!" Shinji said happily.

"Yuji Nakata is who I'm duelling. You have any idea who he is?"

"Nope but more importantly is that you're still in!"

As Shinji celebrated Ryusei was thinking about this Yuji person, the only Duel Leader that he hasn't met.

End of Chapter

Preview: Everyone heads to the Kaiba Dome for the start of the tournament. With Vanessa and Shinji struggling to make it in time. Hayate and Ryusei clash again just before the start of the first match between Ayaka and Kasumi in a fierce battle for supremacy.

Chapter 10-Inter-dorm Tournament Start! Warm Heart vs. Iced Judgement!


	10. Chapter 10 InterDorm Tournament Start!

Location: Domino Town Centre

It was a late crisp evening, with a half moon and many stars filling the night sky. As usual, the town was busy with many people either doing late night shopping or heading into bars and restaurants. Ryusei and Shinji were walking up the well-lit town, just generally hanging out.

"Do you ALWAYS buy so many booster packs?" Ryusei asked as Shinji was carrying a bag full of booster packs.

"No! Only when a new set comes out" Shinji answered defensively.

Ryusei quietly chuckled as the pair continued walking. In a short while Shinji then noticed the laces of his trainers were undone. He stopped and started doing them up as Ryusei kept on walking. After about 15 seconds Ryusei stopped and said

"Come on man it doesn't take that long to do your…shoelace."

As he turned round he noticed that Shinji was gone, nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, he saw no-one in sight. Everyone had vanished.

"What's going on?" He asked himself, agitated as he was walking through the deserted town.

"Shinji!" he called out. There was no response. He called the name louder and still nothing. He was about to shout out his name again but suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew. As he put his hands up to protect himself he noticed something in the wind, speckles of stardust.

"Not again." he whispered as he suddenly heard a low-tone, eerie growl. That was when Ryusei turned and started running.

He sprinted up the main street of the town but darted into an alleyway. He kept darting into numerous alleyways in an attempt to lose the creature. He always felt the creature was close but every time he looked back, he couldn't see it.

After leaving another alleyway he ended up on one of the main streets. He continued running but then something caught his eye. In an alleyway to his left he saw the shadow of a person watching him. Ryusei was about to run over to that place, but then for some reason, he started ascending.

As he was rapidly rising in the air he noticed a large sky-blue foot with long sharp claws on his right shoulder. He figured out that the creature has got him.

In a panicked state Ryusei started shaking violently, desperately trying to break free from the creature's hold. When that didn't work he started punching the creature's foot with his left hand. The creature struggled with its grip on Ryusei due to his actions and eventually let go. Ryusei screamed as he was free-falling to certain death and just as he was about to hit the ground, he suddenly woke up screaming from his bed.

"Ryusei!" Shinji called out worryingly.

Ryusei was a little disorientated when he woke up, breathing heavily. He then realised he was in his room and Shinji was standing next to him.

"Shinji." he responded quietly

"Are you all right?"

Ryusei ran his hands down his face and answered calmly,

"Yeah I'm fine. It was just a dream."

"Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm okay. Sorry for worrying you but you can go back to bed."

As Shinji went back to bed Ryusei lied on his bed, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. As he tried to close his eyes, he constantly sees images of his dream, especially the image of the person's shadow. As Ryusei opened his eyes again he started to wonder who that person was.

**Chapter 10-Inter-Dorm Tournament Start! Warm Heart vs. Iced Judgment!**

"Come on! We're gonna miss it!" Vanessa shouted impatiently.

It was Saturday afternoon, just gone after 1pm. It was a mild but cloudy day with small breaks of sunshine. Vanessa was outside the Domino East Dorm, waiting for Shinji who had just rushed out. The pair then started running towards the fields.

"How could you forget you're ticket?!" Vanessa asked with a stern look at Shinji.

"I'm sorry, but I also had to get something to give to Ryusei." He replied

"Why didn't you give it to him BEFORE he left?"

"He left the place real early. I know competitors need to be there earlier but he was gone by morning."

"Doesn't matter now, what matters is that we hurry up!"

They continued running past the fields and the University Main Building. They headed out of the entrance of the University grounds and turned left. Up further ahead was a bus stop but unfortunately for them, they saw the bus already parked there. As they upped their pace the last person got on the bus and it pulled away heading towards the city. Both stopped to catch their breath and then Vanessa gave Shinji a hard slap on the back of his head, knocking off his glasses.

"This is you're fault!"

"How is it my fault?!"

"Because you wasted time by forgetting you're ticket!"

"But if we left earlier like I said, this wouldn't have happened!" he picked up his glasses, wiped them on his grey jumper and put them back on. As Shinji looked at the timetable he added "Looking at this the next bus won't come for another 40 minutes."

"40 MINUTES?! We'll miss the first match!" Vanessa groaned with frustration.

"Well there's not much we can do."

Vanessa composed herself and then answered confidently "Yes there is!"

"What?"

"We're gonna run there!"

"Are you insane?! It will take over an hour to walk to the Kaiba Dome!"

"That's why we are going to run there! I'm not missing a single minute of this tournament so come ON!"

She grabbed Shinji's arm and started sprinting the same way the bus went with Shinji in tow.

After a few minutes of running Vanessa and Shinji approached a junction. Vanessa foolishly crossed the road without a second's hesitation. Shinji called out as a car was coming at the same time. Vanessa noticed it too late and braced for impact but luckily the car grinded to a halt, inches away from Vanessa.

"What the hell are you doing?!" an angry voice said.

Vanessa opened her eyes and realised she was okay and she looked at the driver and was surprised.

"Kazuma?"

"Vanessa? What are you doing? Do you have a death wish or something?" Kazuma asked angrily.

"Forget about that!" She snapped as she put her hands on the bonnet of the car "I need a favour from you."

"Can it wait? I gotta be somewhere now!"

"No it can't! I need you to give me and Shinji a lift to the Kaiba Dome."

"Forget it."

"But we're gonna miss the first match!" she whined.

"Well you should have left earlier. Besides, the Kaiba Dome is the opposite way of where I'm headed."

"Where are you going?" Shinji asked in a prying manner.

"I'm heading to the airport. I'm flying to Sapporo to help out with my Dad's restaurant."

"What time is you're flight?" Vanessa jumped in.

"At four"

"You can still drop us off and make it there with plenty of time for your flight."

"Look Vanessa…"

"Listen Kazuma! I am not missing this tournament! If you don't take us now I swear, I will throw you out of this car and drive it myself!" She announced as she folded her arms and stared with serious eyes.

Kazuma just sighed and muttered reluctantly "Get in."

Vanessa gasped which turned into a huge smile across her face

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Shinji and Vanessa rushed into the car as Kazuma turned left at the junction heading towards the city.

The time was 1:20pm. At the southern part of Domino City there was a long queue of about sixty people, most of them were students. They were all outside a very large blue dome building with the dome itself shaped as the head of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. This was the Kaiba Dome. Inside there were thousands of people. Some were hanging out; others were queuing for food or buying tickets at the door, but most of them already took to their seats in the stadium.

At the very back of the dome was an area where the duellists prepare for their matches. One of the rooms was called the 'Viewing Room'. It was generally a blue room, sky-blue walls, navy blue carpet and glass tables at each sofa. There were 3 navy blue sofas, one left, one right and one centrally in front of a huge plasma screen on a wall, stretching from one end of the wall to the other.

Sitting on the central sofa was Ryusei with his head down and his hands clasped together. His mind was elsewhere, still thinking about the vivid dream he had last night. As images of it continued rushing through his head a voice said

"You won't win if you don't focus."

This caught Ryusei's attention as he turned to his right to see Hayate relaxing against the wall with his arms folded.

"I don't need your advice." he replied in a serious fashion.

"It wasn't advice. It's the truth."

"Well you shouldn't be worrying about me."

"I'm not. I was hoping to chill out here but there seems to be a smell of low class scum around."

This statement annoyed Ryusei "So I'm off elsewhere." Hayate finished as he started to leave. Still annoyed by what Hayate said, Ryusei then retaliated to by saying to purposely anger Hayate.

"You still can't stand the fact that someone like me is better than you, can't you?"

Hayate stopped and turned round. As he walked towards him, Ryusei got up from his chair as they stood face-to-face.

"Let's get one thing straight. You're win was a fluke, a FLUKE! And this tournament is gonna prove that you're nothing more than a lucky son of a bitch!"

"You know, this is the first time that you've actually managed to piss me off. So I'm looking forward to beating you and taking you're title."

Hayate grabbed Ryusei's shirt with hatred in his eyes "Now listen here you piece of s…"

"Hey!" a female voice called out.

As both men looked at the doorway they noticed Ayaka has just walked in.

"Ayaka!" Ryusei said in surprise

"Ms. Uchiha" Hayate said pleasantly as he slowly let go of Ryusei's shirt.

"Hayate you should really cut down on your swearing. Profanities are not necessary."

"Shouldn't you be preparing for your match?" Ryusei asked.

"I am. But I wish the match will just start already but I have to wait for another half hour." She said, irritated at the waiting time.

"You're actually that excited to have your match now?"

"Please. I would rather be tending to a garden then duelling in this." She said smiling, which slightly irritated Hayate. "Anyway I'm gonna head out, check my Deck one more time or something."

"All right, well good luck Ayaka." Ryusei smiled.

"Same to you Ryusei." She then hugged him. When they finished their embrace she headed out of the room.

"Where's mine?" Hayate enquired.

"You told me last time that luck is for people who don't have a sound strategy, so I'm assuming you don't need it." She quietly chuckled before she left.

"She's such a pain that girl." He said quietly "I'm out of here!" He glared at Ryusei and walked off, leaving Ryusei alone in the room with his thoughts.

Outside the Kaiba Dome the time was 1:40pm. The queue had shrunk greatly due to the extensive efforts of the staff indoors. Kazuma had just arrived and parked with Vanessa and Shinji jumping out of the car.

"I can't thank you enough Kazuma." Vanessa said gleefully.

"No worries. Now enjoy yourself, and let me know what happens." He replied as he was about to drive off.

"Wait a minute! Aren't you gonna watch?"

"He already said that he has to go to the airport." Shinji answered

"You should at least stay to watch Ryusei's first match."

"Why?" Kazuma asked, thinking there is no need.

"It's a way of saying thank you to Ryusei. After all you did throw him in the deep end. So the least you could do is to watch his match."

"Even if I wanted to stay I'll be cutting it too close with my flight."

"Come on Kazuma!"

Kazuma deeply thought about it and did realise Vanessa is right. He does owe Ryusei something for this.

"I suppose I could call my Dad and sort out a later flight." Vanessa smiled at Kazuma's answer. "You can really be a pain Vanessa."

Kazuma said as he got out of the car, dialled a number on his cell phone and went with Vanessa and Shinji to the queue.

It was just before 2pm. As the trio headed into the stadium the place was almost full, most of them being fellow students. Since the stadium seating was set up in an oval shape, each half of the oval was divided into three further sections. On the right half were Domino South (1st section), Domino Central (2nd section) and Domino North (3rd section) supporters. On the left half was Domino East (1st section), neutral fans (2nd section) and Domino West fans (3rd section).

"Wow! Look at all the people here!" Shinji said in excitement.

"I know, I think Domino East is over there." Vanessa said pointing towards their section. As they headed there to take a seat an announcer came out from the centre of the duelling field. He was a man who stood at medium height, wearing a black suit, sunglasses and had short spiked blonde hair. A huge smile appeared on his face as he grabbed the microphone and shouted with passion.

"All Righty then! Let's get this show on the road!" this caused the crowd to cheer loudly.

In the "Viewing Room" Ryusei was sitting on the central sofa, watching the announcer on the screen. He heard the door open and a young man walked in, appearing to be a student. He was tall, with blue eyes and short black hair, with a fringe at the front, and became pointed at the back of his neck. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt, black trousers and black suede shoes.

"I didn't realise anyone was in here." The man said.

"It's no problem." Ryusei replied not bothered by his presence. The man went and sat down on the sofa on the right. He looked at Ryusei and asked.

"You're Ryusei right? Ryusei Fujiwara?"

"Yeah"

"That's so cool! So you're in this tournament! You're gonna be duelling after this match! You're facing…erm…"

"Yuji Nakata."

"That's it! Yuji! He's a very good duellist you know."

"You seem to know something about him. Care to fill me in?" Ryusei asked curiously. The man just chuckled and said.

"I don't know that much about him, but I watched him in last year's tournament and he is really good! He reached the final and everything."

As they continued watching Ryusei saw that the stadium was full of people.

"Hmm, it seems a lot of people came to this tournament."

"Of course! It's because you're in it."

"Because of me?"

"Yeah man, rumours about you been flying around in this uni. This is the people's chance to see whether what's been said is true."

"And what have they been saying?"

"Don't worry about that."

"Doesn't bother me anyway, but I have to ask though why are you watching the duel here and not at the stadium?"

The man scratched the back of his head as he said nervously "I kind of lost my ticket. Plus I didn't have enough money to buy a spare so I snuck in through the crowd past security…"

"Don't worry about it." Ryusei chuckled "I won't say anything."

"Thanks man." He breathed a sigh of relief and settled down to watch the match.

Back at the stadium the announcer said "All righty! Let's meet today's duellists! First, representing Domino West is the Nature Queen, Ayaka Uchiha!"

A big cheer came from the West section as a part of the duel field opened up, then Ayaka ascended through the gap.

"And her opponent, representing Domino North is the Ice-Sworn Princess, Kasumi Fujia!"

Cheers came from the North section as she ascended up the platform. Most of the boys from the other dorms were in awe of her beauty. So they all started cheering for Kasumi.

"So pathetic…" Vanessa muttered.

The two duellists walked up to each other and swapped Decks to be shuffled. No words were exchanged during the process, just stares between the two girls. They got their Decks back and walked to their ends of the duelling field.

Ayaka: ("Kasumi...her style of duelling is to hit hard and fast. If I want to beat her I'm gonna have to match her tempo.")

"ALL RIGHTY THEN! LET THE DUEL COMMENCE!" the announcer shouted as he left the stage. Both players activated their Duel Disks and shouted "Duel!"

LP (Ayaka-4000/Kasumi-4000)

"My turn!" Ayaka declared as she drew her card. "I summon Des Dendle (300/2000) in defense mode! Next I play the spell Seed of Deception, so I can summon a Plant monster who's level 2 or lower, like Nettles (1200/400)!" A small group of tall grass with vicious eyes and mouths entered the playing field. Kasumi showed now emotion to the play.

"I tune my level 2 Nettles with my level 4 Des Dendle!" The grasses exploded into stars and then, 2 green rings which descended onto Des Dendle and created a bright pillar of light.

"Synchro Summon! Fully blossom, Queen of Thorns (2200/1800)! I end my turn."

"That's a pretty fast start!" Shinji said excitedly.

"I hope Ayaka beats that stuck up bitch!" Vanessa muttered under her teeth.

"My turn, I'll activate Charge of the Light Brigade. By sending the top three cards to the graveyard (Wulf, Brain Control and Vanquishing Light) I can add a level 4 or lower Lightsworn to my hand such as Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter."

Ayaka looked slightly concerned knowing of Ryko's effect.

"Since Wulf, Lightsworn Beast (2100/300) was sent from the Deck to the Graveyard he is automatically Special Summoned." A giant wolf-looking beast appeared on the field with white/gold armour and wielded a giant golden axe.

"I set a monster face-down and a card face-down. Turn end."

"Seems Ayaka has the advantage" The man said.

"I would like to think that too, but there is a long way to go" Ryusei replied.

"My turn, I summon Lord Poison (1500/1000) in attack mode!" A deformed tree trunk appeared with branches as arms and razor sharp claws. "Queen of Thorns attacks Wulf with Royal Grip!" the monster flew forward and grabbed Wulf with its claw and crushed it until it shattered.

LP (4000/3900)

"Lord Poison attacks your face-down!"

"Activate Trap. Light Spiral. So when cards are sent from my Deck to the Grave by a Lightsworn effect I can remove from play the top card of you're Deck."

Lord Poison continued its attack destroying the monster which turned out to be Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter (200/100).

"Since Ryko was flipped I can take out your Queen and send the top three cards to the Graveyard."

Ayaka's monster shattered and Jenis, Celestia and Solar Recharge were sent to the Graveyard.

"Now you must remove from play you're top card."

Ayaka picked it up and noticed it was Regenerating Rose and placed it in her pouch.

"I end my turn" Ayaka declared.

"My turn and I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin (1800/1200)." A short white haired woman appeared. Wearing white/gold armour with a cape, equipped with a shield and sword.

"Jain attacks your monster and when she attacks, she gains 300 more attack points (2100/1200)." She darted forward and sliced Ayaka's monster which caused it to shatter.

LP (3400/3900)

"Lord Poison's effect activates. When it's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard I can summon a Plant monster from my Graveyard like Queen of Thorns (2200/1800)!"

"I set a face-down and in my End Phase, Jain sends my top two cards to the Graveyard, causing Light Spiral to remove from play you're top card."

Ayaka picked up The World Tree and removed it.

"You're turn."

Ayaka: ("I have to find a way to get rid of that Light Spiral. The longer it stays the more damage it will cause.")

"My turn!" She looked at her card in a little disappointment, but carried on. "I summon Gigantic Cephalotus (1850/700) in attack mode! Then I play the spell Vine Whip! If I control a Plant-Type monster I can destroy a face-down Spell or Trap and inflict 300 points of damage to you!"

A long vine appeared from the card and whipped the face-down with lightning speed destroying Widespread Ruin.

LP (3400/3600)

"Yes! Take it to her Ayaka!" Vanessa cheered.

"Gigantic Cephalotus attacks now!"

The monster leaped forward, opened its mouth and swallowed Jain whole.

LP (3400/3550)

"Queen of Thorns, attack directly!"

Thousands of thorn pellets were shot at Kasumi who didn't even flinch at the onslaught.

LP (3400/1350)

"I end my turn."

Most of the male fans groaned at the state of the duel, while Domino West fans were celebrating.

"Looks like Ayaka has got this duel won!" Shinji said happily

"I'm not so sure. I know Kasumi, and it's never easy to win against her. Ayaka still has a lot of work to do." Kazuma replied, which gave Vanessa a small look of worry.

"Draw. Due to the effect of your queen I must pay 1000 Life Points to summon a non-Plant monster from my hand."

LP (3400/350)

"I summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner (1000/1000)." A woman was summoned, with short blonde hair wearing a white/gold dress.

"I next play Solar Recharge, discarding Wulf to draw two cards and then, send two cards from my Deck to the Graveyard (Lyla, Lightsworn Sabre). Lightsworn Sabre was sent to the grave so its effect allows it to automatically equip itself onto a Lightsworn monster giving it 700ATK (Lumina-1700/1000)."

"I next play Sworn Ascension. This card allows me to Special Summon a Lightsworn monster from my Graveyard like Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon (2000/1600)." A sleek white dragon appeared with long blonde hair and widespread wings, wearing the armour across the chest and legs.

"Gragonith's effect allows it to gain 300ATK and DEF for every different Lightsworn in my Graveyard, so six Lightsworns makes it 1800 extra points."

(Gragontih-3800/3400)

"No way!" Shinji said in disbelief.

"I told you she wasn't easy." Kazuma said, unmoved by the play just made.

"Gragonith, attack Queen of Thorns. Justice Breath" she said coldly.

The monster took a huge breath and fired out an almighty beam of white light, vaporising Ayaka's queen.

LP (1800/350)

"My Cephalotus' effect activates. Every time a Plant monster is sent to the graveyard it gains 200ATK (2050/700)."

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn. Both Lumina and Gragonith must send the top three cards to the Graveyard so Light Spiral activates twice."

As Ayaka picked up her first card to remove, it was Botanical Girl. When she picked the second card her eyes widened in shock as to what it was.

"Crap" Ryusei said.

"What?" the man with him asked.

"She's lost something important."

"Has she?"

"Yeah, I can tell."

Ayaka reluctantly put the card in her pouch which turned out to be Tytannial, Princess of Carmelias.

"Since Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior and Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid are now in the Graveyard, Gragonith's ATK and DEF goes up by another 600 (4400/4000)."

Ayaka looked at Kasumi sternly. Kasumi stayed silent, expecting Ayaka to make her move.

Ayaka: ("Even though she's running out of cards she is technically getting stronger. I have to try and finish it this turn!")

"My turn!" She drew her card and liked what she saw. "I play Pot of Greed so I draw two cards. I next play Heavy Storm which destroys all Spells and Traps."

As the North fans complained Ayaka continued her comeback plan.

"I then summon Lonefire Blossom (500/1400) and play the spell Fragrance Storm. So I can destroy a Plant monster to draw a card so Gigantic Cephalotus is gone and I draw."

The audience were confused as to why she would destroy her best monster at that moment. Ryusei however smiled at the play.

Ryusei: ("With the right draw she can pull out a win here.")

As Ayaka drew her card a she gave a little smile.

"I play the spell Hammer Shot! This destroys the monster with the highest attack on the field!" An enormous brown hammer came from the top and squashed Gragonith, shattering it.

"Next, is Lonefire's turn, by releasing it, I can special summon a Plant monster from my Deck, so I choose Gigaplant (2400/1200)!"

As the new monster appeared on the field, Domino West supporters were celebrating greatly.

"She's gonna win!" Shinji said ecstatically.

"Gigaplant! End this duel by attacking Lumina!" Gigaplant shot out a claw aiming at Lumina.

"YES!" Vanessa shouted, ecstatic with Ayaka's move. The West fans continued their celebration, the North fans and most of the males were in shock, and Ryusei smiled at Ayaka's the play.

"She did it" he said.

"Not quite" the man replied.

"I activate…" Kasumi announced

"What?!" Ayaka said in disbelief.

"Necro Guardna's effect, When it's in the Graveyard I can remove it from play to negate the attack of one monster." The spirit of the monster appeared absorbing all the thorns so Kasumi took no damage.

"Damn it!" Vanessa said in frustration. The North fans had relief all over their faces, while West fans were disappointed and quieted down.

"Ayaka still has the advantage in this duel though." Kazuma replied in an attempt to cheer Vanessa up

"That's right. I think Ayaka has this one." Shinji said which made Vanessa smile.

"Hmm" The man said

"What are you thinking?" Ryusei asked

"That the duel is over."

"Even though Kasumi still has a chance, it will be very hard for her to win."

"I'm actually thinking the other way around."

"Really? You think Kasumi will win?"

"Trust me she will."

"What makes you so confident?"

"She has one turn left and if I know Kasumi like I think I know her, she always will come up with something."

"I end my turn with a face-down." Ayaka declared and assessed the situation.

LP (1200/350)

Ayaka: ("Okay. Looking at it first glance, it seems the duel is done. She has Lumina on the field and one card in her hand. Plus she would need a monster with 2500 to defeat my Gigaplant. She could use Lumina to get back Gragonith. However my face-down is Dimension Wall, so she will take the damage, which ends the duel. Everything seems covered but what is this unsettling feeling I'm having?")

Kasumi drew her card silently and looked at it.

Kasumi: ("To think that I would actually have to use this card to win. However, she has proven herself to be a worthy opponent.")

"I first activate, Solar Recovery. By removing from play 3 LIGHT Monsters (Aurkus, Jenis and Jain) I gain 1000 Life Points."

LP (1800/1350)

"Since I have four differently named Lightsworn monsters in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon this monster from my hand. Come forth Judgment Dragon (3000/2600)."

"Judgment Dragon?" Ayaka said in a worrying manner.

As Kasumi placed the card on the Duel Disk, a wind was generated and a blinding white light came from Kasumi's field. In the epicentre was a creature that out spread its wings and gave a loud vicious roar. As the light disappeared it revealed a large, white scaled dragon, with feather-like wings and intimidating red-eyes, to go with the red claws on its feet.

"No way!" Vanessa said, in amazement of the monster.

"I've never seen a creature like that before!" Shinji exclaimed.

The Domino North fans and the male audience were cheering to see such a powerful monster on Kasumi's side.

Kasumi just stared at Ayaka causing an eerie silence.

Ayaka: ("What is she waiting for? Is she deciding whether to attack or something?")

She finally broke the silence by saying "Judgment Dragon's effect activates. By paying 1000 Life Points I can destroy all cards on the field except itself."

Ayaka gasped in shock as Kasumi has now won this match.

LP (1200/350)

"Activate, Storm of Justice." The dragon flew up into the air and flapped its wings creating strong winds. Ayaka put up her hands to protect herself as all the cards was blown off the field, destroying them.

"No way!" Vanessa said in shock. Most of the crowd were stunned by the awesome power of Kasumi's monster.

"No." Ayaka whispered.

"Judgment Dragon, direct attack!" The monster took a huge breath and fired out an almighty blast of white fire instantly engulfing Ayaka. In the aftermath she was down on one knee.

LP (0/350)

"No way…" Vanessa whispered.

There was a stunned silence, which then turned into cheers from most of the fans for a great duel.

"The Duel is over! The winner is Kasumi Fujia!" the announcer shouted.

Ayaka got up and walked over to Kasumi "Great Duel" she said as she offered her hand.

Kasumi just looked at her and walked away, surprising Ayaka.

"I swear she is the most arrogant, self-centred bitch I've ever seen!" Vanessa said in frustration.

"The next Duel will commence in 30 minutes!" it was announced.

"All right I'm gonna find Ryusei." Shinji said as he got up.

"We'll come with, to wish him luck." Vanessa said as she and Kazuma joined Shinji to leave the stadium.

Back at the viewing room, Ryusei and the other guy were talking about the duel they just watched.

"How did you know that would happen, are you student from her dorm or something?" Ryusei asked.

"Haha, no I'm not. I just know how she duels that's all, despite her poker face, she fights hard in every duel and never gives up."

Ryusei: ("Kasumi Fujia, probably the favourite I would say. I bet even

Hayate would admit she would be the most difficult opponent here. But there is something about her also…")

"What are you thinking about?" the man asked intriguingly.

"Nothing much. Anyway, I'm gonna head out and prepare for my match, but hopefully I'll see you around."

"Likewise." They both got up but before they left, they shook hands.

"Good luck in you're duel Ryusei."

"Thanks."

The man opened the door and was about to leave when Ryusei called out "Hey, I realised that I don't even know you're name."

"Yuji Nakata. See you later." He answered as he went out of the door.

He instantly realised who he was "Yuji…wait a minute!" Ryusei called out as he rushed out of the room and looked but Yuji was already gone, nowhere to be seen.

Preview: Shinji and the others catch up with Ryusei to wish him luck. Shinji gives Ryusei the gift he was meant to give him earlier which was a few booster packs. Ryusei prepares himself for a stern test of his credentials. As the duel is about to the start a mysterious girl appears to watch.

Chapter 11-Fight Against The People's Champion (title tbc)

ORIGINAL CARDS

Vine Whip  
Normal Spell  
You can only activate this card when you have a face-up Plant-Type monster on your side of the field. Destroy 1 face-down Spell or Trap Card on the field and inflict 300 points of damage to your opponent.

Sworn Ascension  
Continuous Spell  
Activate only when you control a "Lightsworn" Monster. Special Summon 1 "Lightsworn" Monster from your Graveyard and equip it to this card. The monster and this card is destroyed at the end of your 2nd turn of activation.

Solar Recovery  
Normal Spell  
Remove from play from your Graveyard 3 LIGHT-Attribute monsters and gain 1000 Life Points.


	11. Chapter 11 Fight Against People's Champ!

Location: Kaiba Dome

It was about ten minutes after the duel between Ayaka and Kasumi. Ryusei was sitting down in the 'Viewing Room' looking lost as to what happened a few minutes ago.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_**RYUSEI-"Hey, I realised I don't even know you're name."**_

_**MAN-"Yuji Nakata, see you later."**_

Ryusei: ("What the hell was that about? All this time he was pretending to be someone else but for what reason? Was he trying to psyche me out of the duel? Did he want to know what kind of person I am? It doesn't make any sense at all.")

He looked to his right to see what the time on the clock was (2:26pm). He noticed he had about 20 minutes left before his duel starts so he decided to leave the room to do final preparations, and try to ignore his earlier thoughts. As he left the 'Viewing Room' he noticed Ayaka walking towards him. She saw him and gave a little smile.

"Hey" she said softly.

"Hey, how are you doing?" he replied with a similar tone.

"I'm okay I guess, I mean, I know I wasn't all for this tournament but when you're so close to victory…"

"It kind of stings, I know. Well if it's any consolation you fought very hard, you did you're best out there and that's all you can ask from yourself."

"Thanks Ryusei."

"So what are you doing now?"

"Well, I'm gonna watch your match of course!" she answered in a happy tone. "Then I will probably go home for the rest of the weekend. Mina will stay and fill me in on everything that happens here."

"Fair enough, I hope to give you a good show."

Both of them smiled and then Ryusei noticed someone walking towards them. It was Kasumi. As she approached them Ryusei then said,

"You're Kasumi right? Congratulations on…"

Kasumi just completely ignored him and walked straight past them. Ryusei was very surprised and just looked at her as she was walking away, thinking how she can be this way.

"Don't worry about her." Ayaka said in a low tone "She's always been like that."

"Why?"

"You have to ask her."

**Chapter 11-Fight Against The People's Champion!**

Inside the main stadium people were again starting to take their seats in anticipation of the next match. On the upper terrace entrance, there was a girl relaxing on the wall; arms folded looking at the duel field. She looked like she was a student from the University despite having no student ID card on her person. She was slim, at average height with brown skin. She had long silky black hair reaching her middle back and soft hazelnut eyes. She was wearing pure white trousers, white shoes and a t-shirt made of the rainbow colours melding with each other going diagonally across from left to right.

As she waited there, Yuri came from the same entrance behind her. Instantly attracted to her, he approached her without hesitation.

"Hey there."

"Hi." the girl replied softly without looking at him.

"You're enjoying the event so far?"

"Don't know as I just got here."

"Aren't you gonna sit down?"

"Maybe."

"Well if you want to watch this match I can hook you up with a nice spot."

"Really?" the girl asked in a completely disinterested manner.

"Yeah, see that press-box over there?" she looked to where Yuri was pointing, a VIP area where important guests can watch the duels from. "Well my cousin is running this thing so with a word I can definitely get you in there. We can chill out, have some drinks, you know, and then maybe afterwards we can go out or something." Yuri said thinking that he's reeled her in.

"So what do you say?"

"I'm fine here thanks." She replied back, still not looking at him.

Realising that it's not going to happen, he scowled a little but then just shrugged his shoulders and said "Fair enough, you're loss." and started to walk away.

"However, I do want to know…" The girl said.

Yuri turned around smiling thinking maybe the girl changed his mind.

"When is Ryusei Fujiwara duelling?"

"What?! Why do want to know about that punk?" he said with a little anger in his voice.

"He's the reason why I'm here."

Yuri growled a little and muttered "He's up next. However, why are you interested in him? My cousin is ten times the duellist he is! Even I'm better than him!"

"Really?" the girl said with interest, looking at Yuri for the first time "Then maybe we should have a match sometime to see whether that's true."

Yuri chuckled slightly "Yeah maybe, I gotta take care of a few things but my offer still stands, just come up when you're ready."

Yuri left the girl behind as she continued looking at the duel field.

Girl: ("Ryusei, let's see how strong you are.")

Elsewhere inside the Dome, Ryusei had just arrived into the main area and saw many people around, buying food, merchandise, cards or just hanging out before the next match. By chance he looked to his right and saw Shinji, Vanessa and Kazuma approaching.

"Ryusei!" Shinji called out.

"Hey guys, shouldn't you be in the stadium by now?" he asked

"Yeah but we wanted to wish you good luck before you go." Vanessa answered "But I have to ask, have you seen Yuji yet?" she asked curiously.

"I have actually."

"Have you? What's he like?"

"I have no idea."

Vanessa and Shinji were confused "What do you mean?" Shinji asked.

"Well I was watching the duel with him but he pretended to be a different person, saying these weird things and stuff."

Kazuma chuckled lightly at Ryusei's comment "Looks like some things never change."

"What do you mean? Do you know something Kazuma?" Vanessa asked.

"Yuji has a funny side to him, he likes having a laugh and playing jokes on people and stuff, so don't worry about it. It's kind of a thing he does to make him relax. Last year he did it on Hayate but a much cruder joke, he wasn't impressed."

"I bet he wasn't."

"Oh yeah! Before I forget I wanted to give you this in the morning but you left early."

Shinji handed Ryusei a very small bag which contained 3 booster packs.

"I bought these for you to give you're Deck a tune-up in-case."

"Shinji! Are you crazy? It's like 10 minutes before his match starts! He can't change his Deck now, what…"

"Calm down Vanessa" Ryusei interrupted "It's okay. Thank you Shinji."

"No problem but we should better get going, good luck again Ryusei!"

As the trio started to leave Ryusei remembered something and called out

"Kazuma,"

He turned around and asked "What's up?"

"Yuji, what is he like?"

"As a duellist or as a person?"

"Both."

"As a person he's almost the perfect role model. Good grades, great personality. He gets on with everyone and likes to help people in any way possible."

"So a real person of the people is he?"

"You could say that, as a duellist, he's highly skilled of course, but what makes him different is that he makes you…repetitive."

"What do you mean?"

"You will know when you duel him, all the best man." Kazuma replied as he walked to join Vanessa and Shinji in the stadium.

Before Ryusei left he opened the 3 packs that he got from Shinji. As he examined all the cards he picked out 3 cards and read them carefully as an idea went through his head.

Ryusei: ("Interesting.")

Inside the stadium the announcer took the field with the microphone and shouted "All Righty! Are you all ready for the next match?!"

The crowd made a huge cheer in response.

Elsewhere Yuri was going up some stairs and entered the VIP area. It was a large, immaculate room, with beige walls and four brown leather sofas in the room. There was a plasma screen TV at the front to watch the duel and a minibar at the back. He noticed Tasuku and Hayate sitting at different sofas, both with a bottle of beer in front of them on their respective tables.

"Is the match about to start?" Yuri asked as he went to the minibar to get something for himself.

"Yeah, so hurry up if you don't wanna miss anything." Tasuku said.

Yuri got his drink and sat down on another sofa.

"What happened to that girl?" Hayate said as he took a swig of his beer.

"What girl?" Yuri said pretending to not know what he's talking about.

"I saw you talking to that girl and pointing here, so I'm assuming you were inviting her here."

"Maybe, maybe not."

"He got rejected." Tasuku declared.

"Piss off!" Yuri snapped back while Tasuku and Hayate laughed at him.

"Anyway, looks like it's gonna start, and will end with a Yuji victory." Hayate smirked.

On the duel field the announcer had just announced both duellists as they both ascended onto the field. Due to the status of Yuji most of the crowd were supporting him, Cheers from Domino East for Ryusei was easily stifled by the support for Yuji.

"I never knew Yuji was so popular here" Vanessa said in surprise.

"Well he's a fan favourite, he has a lot of respect among his peers, compared to Ryusei who is a complete unknown." Kazuma replied.

The two walked to each other and gave their Decks to be shuffled.

"Sorry about before, it's kind of a ritual of mine to have a little fun before a big duel." Yuji said.

"Yeah, so I've heard, but no worries, all the best out there." Ryusei replied smiling.

"You too."

The pair got their Decks back, shook hands and went to their respective places. As they inserted their Decks into their Duel Disks the announcer shouted,

"ALL RIGHTY THEN! LET THE DUEL COMMENCE!"

Both players then activated their Duel Disks and shouted "Duel!"

LP (Yuji-4000/Ryusei-4000)

"My turn!" Ryusei declared as he drew his card and examined his hand (Magician's Valkyria, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, Maiden of Macabre, Magic Cylinder, Chaos Command Magician and Enemy Controller).

Ryusei: ("Not too bad I guess.")

"I summon Magician's Valkyria (1600/1800) in defense mode! I set a card face-down and end my turn."

Ryusei: ("Now, let's see what kind of Deck Yuji uses.")

"My turn" Yuji declared. "I summon Elemental Hero Prisma (1700/1100) in attack mode!" A crystalline human-shaped monster appeared with wings and every part of its body seemed to be a mirror reflecting faces of the crowd.

Ryusei: ("Heroes, again?")

"Does Yuji also use Heroes?" Shinji asked.

Kazuma just chuckled and said "Not quite."

"Now I'll use Prisma's ability so listen up as it's a bit long. First, I reveal to you a Fusion Monster of mine" Yuji then showed Ryusei, Black Skull Dragon (3200/2500) "Then I can send one of the Fusion Material Monsters form my Deck to the Graveyard." Yuji selected Red Eyes Black Dragon and sent it to the Graveyard. "Finally my Prisma gets the same name as the monster I just sent until the end of this turn."

The monster started to glow rainbow colours before morphing into a large black dragon with vicious red eyes.

"Hmm, Red Eyes Black Dragon, that's quite the monster." Ryusei said.

"That it is, it's also my favourite monster." Yuji said smiling

"However, it seems Prisma keeps its original ATK despite its effect, so it's still not strong enough to destroy my Valkyria."

"I don't need to as I play Inferno Fire Blast!"

"And that does what?"

"It's simple really. If I have a Red Eyes Black Dragon on the field, I can force it not to attack, and in return, you take damage equal to its original attack points."

"Crap." Ryusei muttered as the dragon to a deep breath and fired a dark red ball of fire which engulfed Ryusei.

LP (4000/2300)

"He nearly lost half his Life Points on the first turn!" Vanessa said in shock.

"I play a face-down and that's it." Yuji declared as Prisma returned to its original state.

As most of the fans cheered, Ryusei started to realise the extent of Yuji's status in the university but decided to press on anyway.

"My turn then and I'll release my Valkyria to summon my Chaos Command Magician (2400/1900)! Chaos Command Magician will attack you're Prisma!" The magician fired a ray of dark energy shattering Prisma.

LP (3300/2300)

"I end my turn."

"My turn then" Yuji looked at the card and smiled. "I summon Red Eyes Tombkeeper (300/500)." A skeleton warrior appeared with a cape, wielding a spear and wore a mask of a Red Eyes Black Dragon.

"I now use it's effect, By removing this monster from play I'm allowed to Special Summon my Red Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) back to the field!" the skeleton disintegrated into dust which then swirled into the shape of the dragon and revealed its true form.

"I next play Stamping Destruction! If I have a dragon on the field I can destroy a Spell or Trap and deal 500 points of damage!"

A large orange dragon's foot came down and crushed Ryusei's face-down (Magic Cylinder).

LP (3300/1800)

"Now Red Eyes, attack his Magician!"

"Huh?" Ryusei said in surprised "They just gonna take each other out!"

Both monsters were destroyed.

"I end my turn with a face-down."

Ryusei: ("There must be an ulterior motive to destroy both monsters like that. Maybe he's going to try and bring it back. In that case!")

"My turn! I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (1800/700) in attack mode! Kycoo, attack Yuji directly!" Ryusei's monster dived forward but Yuji just smiled

"I activate my face-down Call of the Haunted to bring back my Red Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!" as the dragon appeared again, Ryusei didn't react to the play.

"I call off my attack. I set a face-down and end my turn."

"Ryusei's struggling out there." Shinji said with worry.

"I know" Vanessa replied quietly.

In the Domino West section Ayaka looked was looking on with unease.

Ayaka: ("Come on, Ryusei.")

"My turn then Ryusei, and I'll activate my other face-down Metalmorph and equip it to my Red Eyes giving it a 300 point boost (2700/2300). Red Eyes attacks Kycoo!"

"I activate Enemy Controller to shift you're Red Eyes into defense mode!"

"Hmm, good move, well then I'll send my Red Eyes with Metalmorph to the Graveyard."

"Why?" Ryusei asked, thinking what his plan is.

"So then I can summon Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon (2800/2400) from my Deck!" Another dragon appeared. It was very similar to the original Red Eyes but it had a metallic body and robotic red eyes.

"Turn end."

Ryusei: ("I gotta get back into this somehow!")

He drew his card silently and noticed this is his way back in.

"I play Magical Dimension so if I have a Spellcaster I can release a monster to summon a Spellcaster from my hand so I release Kycoo to summon Maiden of Macabre (1700/0)! Also as a bonus I can destroy a monster on the field so your Red Eyes is history!" Yuji's monster exploded from the blast received from Ryusei's spell.

"Maiden, direct attack!" She charged forward and slashed Yuji forcing him backwards.

LP (1600/1800)

"I end my turn."

Domino East fans started cheering for Ryusei but the rest of the crowd got jealous. So chanting for Yuji started again quickly stifling the Domino East supporters.

"Not bad Ryusei." Yuji said as he drew his card. "I'll play Exploder Dragon (1000/0)!" A blue dragon with appeared, holding a black/orange spiked cannonball "Attack his Maiden with Cannonball Crash!"

"Why is he attacking?!" Shinji exclaimed "If anything it helps Ryusei's Maiden!"

The dragon flew towards the Maiden who slashed it with her axe. As the dragon exploded the cannonball landed on the Maiden and exploded, destroying Ryusei's monster.

"What the hell?" Ryusei shouted as he held his arms up to protect himself from the blast.

"Exploder Dragon takes no Battle Damage when it attacks and if it's destroyed by battle, the monster responsible for it gets destroyed also."

"Nicely done."

"I end my turn."

"It seems Ryusei is hanging on." Tasuku said as he had a drink.

"Yeah but for how much longer?" Yuri replied.

"Not much longer, especially if Yuji gets his best monster out." Hayate gloated as he took a sip of his beer.

Up on the higher terrace the girl was still standing at the entrance watching the duel. Her eyes remaining focused on Ryusei.

"My turn, I set a monster face-down and end my turn."

"Is that it? Ryusei had an open field!" Vanessa said in frustration

"There may be more to it than that, Vanessa" Kazuma replied.

"All right then, I summon Masked Dragon (1400/1100) in attack mode and use it to attack your monster!" The monster breathed some fire which burned Ryusei's monster.

"Unfortunately, you attacked my Old Vindictive Magician, and when he's flipped he destroys a monster on your side!" The magician fired a purple ray shattering the dragon before it was destroyed.

"I play a face-down and end my turn."

"My turn and I play Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." He saw one of the cards that came from Shinji's pack.

Ryusei: ("I'll save this for later")

I discard a card (Double Spell) to the graveyard to Special Summon The Tricky (2000/1200)! Attack him directly!"

"I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device which returns the monster to your hand!"

Ryusei wasn't bothered with the play and continued "I set a face-down monster and end my turn."

"My turn and I play Summoner's Art which allows me to add a Level 5 or higher Normal Monster from my Deck to my hand; I think you can guess which one right?" Yuji asked.

"Red Eyes Black Dragon" Ryusei said coldly.

"No need to be that like that man! Anyway I play Graceful Charity drawing three cards and discarding two (Red Eyes Black Dragon and Dark Hex Sealed Fusion) and then activate Dragon's Mirror!"

"Great!" Ryusei said sarcastically.

"By removing from play my Red Eyes Black Dragon and Dark Hex Sealed Fusion as a substitute for Summoned Skull I can now summon Black Skull Dragon (3200/2500)!" A large blue dragon appeared, wearing skeleton armour on parts of his body. It gave a large roar as Ryusei looked up to it.

"Black Skull Dragon attacks your monster!" it fired multiple balls of fire destroying Apprentice Magician.

"My Apprentice allows me to Special Summon a level 2 or lower, Spellcaster from my Deck to the field in face-down defense, so I choose Crystal Seer (100/100)!"

"I set a face-down and end my turn."

"Come on, Ryusei, don't give up" Vanessa said quietly, with real concern in her voice as the chants for Yuji grew louder and louder.

Ryusei drew his card and didn't get what he hoped but he decided to take a risk.

"I flip my Crystal Seer, allowing me to pick the top two cards from my Deck. I can then add one to my hand and put the other to the bottom." He picked his two cards and got Defense Wizard and Cybernetic Magician. He smiled at his Cybernetic Magician as it always comes when he needs him. He continued by returning Defense Wizard to the Deck.

"I release my monster to summon Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000)!"

As it descended onto the field, Yuji looked at it with intrigue.

"Cybernetic Magician, so this is your ace card." Yuji said intriguingly.

"Indeed it is and I'll activate its effect of discarding a card (The Tricky) to make a monster's attack fixed at 2000, I choose your Black Skull Dragon (2000/2500)! Cybernetic Magician attack Black Skull Dragon, Light Cyber Blast!"

The magician fired a blast of bright light causing the dragon to explode. Yuji put his arms up to protect himself.

(1200/1800)

"All right, Ryusei!" Shinji cheered, as Kazuma smiled.

"I set a card face-down and end my turn."

In the 'Viewing Room' Kasumi was sitting on her own watching the duel silently with her arms folded.

Kasumi: ("Yuji. Stop messing around and win this match already.")

"Well played, I must admit I didn't expect you to take out my monster like that but anyway." Yuji drew his card "I play Pot of Greed allowing me to draw two cards and then I activate Swing of Memories allowing me to summon a Normal Monster from the Graveyard like my Red Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!"

Ryusei: ("This must be what Kazuma meant by repetitive, no matter how many times I take it down it keeps coming back. It feels like a never-ending cycle, but one I have to break if I want to win!")

The two monsters gave each other serious glares as they prepared to clash.

"How about that, our two aces going head-to-head."

"Very true" Ryusei smiled.

"Now unfortunately my Swing will destroy my Red Eyes this turn but I don't want it to go alone so Red Eyes, attack Cybernetic Magician with Inferno Fire Blast!" As Red Eyes fired its shot, Cybernetic retaliated with its own attack and both monsters were destroyed in a huge explosion.

"Seems now they are both gone." Ryusei said as the smoke cleared.

"Not exactly, I activate my face-down, Birthright! This allows me to Special Summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard to the field so come back Red Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Ryusei asked in a tiresome manner.

"Don't worry Ryusei it seems this will be the last time as you're open now."

"That's where you're wrong. Because of your Trap Card I can activate my face-down, Magical Starsign!"

"What's that?"

"When you Special Summon a Monster I can remove from play a monster from my Graveyard to Special Summon a Spellcaster from my Graveyard so be reborn, Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000)!" Crystal Seer disintegrated and many stars appeared on the field swirling to form the shape of Cybernetic Magician.

Ryusei: ("Thanks for that one Shinji.")

"Huh. Nice move, I end my turn with a face-down."

Ryusei: ("This is my chance to get rid of Red Eyes!")

"My turn" Ryusei drew his card and noticed it was another card that came from the booster packs. Since he couldn't use the card now, he decided to press on with his original plan. "I discard a card to make your Red Eyes attack limited to 2000! Cybernetic Magician attack!"

"Sorry Ryusei but I can't have you destroying my Red Eyes so I reveal my face-down Dimensional Prison, which removes the attacking monster from play!"

"What?!" Ryusei said in complete shock as he saw his Magician get warped from the field.

"That's…pretty bad actually." Kazuma said.

"How's he gonna win without his best monster?" Vanessa asked.

"I have absolutely no idea." Shinji answered in a very quiet manner.

Ayaka looked on with more concern on her face while in the VIP room Hayate just smiled.

"So long Ryusei."

Ryusei remained calm and said "I'll play a face-down monster and end my turn."

"Unlucky Ryusei, but it's my turn and I'll play Dragon's Gunfire! This inflicts 800 points of damage to you!"

(1200/1000)

"Next I will release my Red Eyes Black Dragon to summon Red Eyes Darkness Dragon (2400/2000)!" A larger Red Eyes monster appeared with a spikier body, two more sets of wings and burning eyes of hatred.

"My Darkness Dragon likes to take revenge for its fallen comrades. So it gets 300 extra ATK for each Dragon in my Graveyard."

"Wait a minute…"  
"With four dragons in my Graveyard my Darkness gains an extra 1200 points (3600/2000)!"

Ryusei just looked sternly at Yuji, thinking he is in major trouble.

"Red Eyes Darkness Dragon, Inferno Darkfire!" The dragon fired an almighty blast of black and red fire vaporising Ryusei's Unhappy Maiden (0/100).

"I end my turn."

Ryusei just looked at the dragon as it stared back deeply into his eyes.

As most of the crowd was cheering for Yuji's victory, the Domino East fans started turning against Ryusei and booing him, to the dismay of Kazuma and Shinji.

"This is not fair, he's doing his best!" Shinji said.

"I know Shinji, but looking at the field, Ryusei has an empty field and no hand, this duel seems to be over." She said with a hint of sorrow.

"I'm surprised at you Vanessa; I thought you would have more faith." Kazuma announced which startled Vanessa.

"I faced Ryusei myself and I know he's not the kind of guy that will give up even if the odds are stacked against him. Even if he knows he can't win he will go down fighting."

This cheered up Vanessa a little but she was still filled with worry, doubting herself in whether she did the right thing by forcing him into this tournament. Elsewhere in the VIP room the people up there were smiling at Ryusei's demise. While the girl watching still had her eyes fixed on Ryusei, wondering how is he going to get out of this.

"Something wrong?" Yuji asked as it seemed Ryusei had completely zoned out.

"No," Ryusei replied "I'm just thinking what an excellent duel it's been; you really are one hell of an opponent."

"I try I guess, but I have to say that you're a lot better than I heard you were. But what's with all this talk, are you giving up or something?"

Ryusei put his fingers on his Deck ready to draw his card "Does this answer you're question?"

Ryusei: ("This is my final move, so I better make this count!")

"My turn!" Ryusei drew his card and got Pot of Avarice.

"I play Pot of Avarice! By returning 5 Monsters (Kycoo, Maiden of Macabre, Chaos Command, Cybernetic Magician and Magician's Valkyria) from my Graveyard to the Deck I can then draw two cards!"

Ryusei shuffled his deck, paused for a moment and drew his two cards. As he looked at the cards he remembered one of the cards he discarded previously was one of Shinji's cards. So he had an idea.

Ryusei: ("Looks like you helped me again. Thanks Shinji.")

"I summon Magical Exemplar (1700/1400) in attack mode!" A black haired woman with a green robe, with incantation symbols appeared, wearing jewellery on head, neck and hands.

"Next I activate Premature Burial. By paying 800 points I can summon a monster from my Graveyard in attack mode so I choose The Unhappy Maiden (0/100)."

LP (1200/200)

"Is he nuts?" Yuri said while laughing while Hayate was wondering what his plan was.

"Since I played a spell my Exempler gains two Spell Counters. Next I activate my Exemplar's effect. I can remove counters off her to Special Summon a Spellcaster from my hand or Graveyard whose level is equal to the counters removed. So I remove both counters to summon from my Graveyard, Tuner monster Frequency Magician (800/400)!" a man appeared dress is white with a blue cape. He wore a tall white hat and had devices attached to his hands emitting radio waves.

The summoning of this monster caused surprise and murmurs from the crowd.

"A Tuner? No way!" Vanessa said in astonishment.

"Does Ryusei even have any Synchro Monsters?" Kazuma asked.

"Not do I know of!" Shinji said still in shock

"What the hell?" Hayate said to himself.

"Let's go!" Ryusei announced. The tuner increased the frequency which caused the monster to glow and turn into 2 green rings.

"I tune my Frequency Magician, with my Magical Exempler and my Unhappy Maiden!"

The rings descended on Ryusei's remaining monsters changing them into five bright stars. A bright pillar of light descended onto the field afterwards.

"Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Arcanite Magician (400/1800)!"

A magician wearing a white hat and uniform with a Dark Magician style staff came on to the field. As it descended on to the field the crowd were surprised and confused at the monster's points.

"What a waste!" Hayate declared "He went through all that just to summon a weakling!"

"That's a pretty cool monster Ryusei, has it got any tricks?" Yuji asked jokingly.

"When my monster is successfully Synchro Summoned it receives two Spell Counters and it gains 1000ATK for each counter!"

Two bright yellow balls went inside of the magician giving it more power (Arcanite-2400/1800).

"Even though that's a powerful effect, it's still not enough to beat Yuji's monster." Vanessa said.

"Unless…" Shinji said excitedly.

Ryusei gave a little smile "I activate Arcanite's second effect! By removing one Spell Counter on the field, I can destroy a card you control!"

"No way!" Tasuku said in disbelief.

A yellow ball left Arcanite and went into its staff, which in turn, fired a blue energy blast destroying Darkness Dragon. Yuji just gently closed his eyes after the destruction of his dragon.

"Arcanite Magician (1400/800)! Attack Yuji directly!" Arcanite charged forward and swiped Yuji with his staff who went down to one knee.

LP (0/200)

The crowd were silent in amazement of what just happened. Everyone just looked with their mouths open in disbelief. The announcer ran onto the field and shouted to break the silence.

"The match is over! Your winner is Ryusei Fujiwara!"

Hayate got up and kicked the wall in frustration, and then the Domino East fans started to cheer.

"Yeah, Way to go Ryusei!" Vanessa shouted.

"All right Ryusei!" Shinji followed.

Girl: ("Well done Ryusei, an impressive win.")

The girl then turned and left the stadium. At the same time Yuji got up and went over to Ryusei to shake his hand.

"That was an awesome duel Ryusei!"

"Right back at you,"

"I wish you luck for you're next match, take care."

Yuji left the field as the Domino East fans started chanting Ryusei's name.

In the viewing room Kasumi was watching the duel. Her eyes were widened as she could not believe Yuji lost. However when the screen showed Ryusei's face her eyes then turned very serious and focused on him.

Kasumi: ("Ryusei. So you're my next opponent. Unfortunately for you you're run ends here.")

Preview: Approaching the duel of the next round Kasumi prepares for her match with Ryusei. As Yuji talks to Kasumi about how she is today, she remembers the past she tried to block out, and the day which shaped her to become the person she is today. She starts her duel with Ryusei who senses something different compared to the first match.

Chapter 12-Origins of a Black Heart!

ORIGINAL CARDS

Red Eyes Tombkeeper  
DARK/Zombie-Effect/1/300/500  
While this card is in the Graveyard, it is treated as a Dragon-Type Monster. You can remove from play this face-up card from your field to Special Summon a "Red Eyes Black Dragon" from you're Graveyard.

Magical Starsign  
Continuous Trap  
You can only activate this card when a monster is Special Summoned to your opponent's side of the field. Remove from play 1 Monster card from your Graveyard and Special Summon 1 Spellcaster-Type Monster from your Graveyard. When this card is removed from the field, destroy the monster. When the monster is destroyed, destroy this card.


	12. Chapter 12 Origins Of A Black Heart!

Location: Domino Town Centre

The time was 6:56pm. The sun was close to setting, turning the horizon to a dull orange, merging into the darkness of the night sky. Inside one of the many restaurants in the town was Kasumi.

The restaurant was quite small with a contemporary look to it. There were about eight tables for two set around the main floor, with wooden chairs at each table. At the service counter were four stools for people to eat, just in case the other tables were full. Kasumi was sitting on one of the stools eating her meal with her sea blue jacket lying on the stool next to her. She ate the last of her fried rice and wiped her mouth with a serviette. She then got up, picked up her jacket and went for her purse. She took some money out and left it on the counter in front of the owner as payment. The owner smiled and said goodbye to her as she walked out of the restaurant.

As she went outside she felt a sharp wind blow so she decided to put her jacket on. While doing this a generally attractive guy noticed Kasumi and walked up to her. He was about to say something but Kasumi gave him an ice cold glare scaring the guy off. She gently shook her head and was about to walk off but she then felt a gentle tap on her right shoulder. She looked sharply to her right and saw no-one nearby. Starting to feel frustrated she looked sharply to her left. This time she saw Yuji there, hands in his pockets looking at the orange skyline. She calmed down after seeing him and said.

"Oh, it's you."

"I thought you would be back in your dorm, not hanging around here." Yuji replied.

"I didn't feel like going back, plus the next match will be on soon."

"Ah yes, the next match, are you looking forward to it?" Yuji asked leaning closer and closer to Kasumi. She then put her hand on Yuji's face and pushed it away saying,

"I don't look forward to duels."

"Well you should, there is no harm in enjoying a duel you know."

"Did you enjoy losing today?" Kasumi asked coldly. She glared at him, expecting an answer to what happened earlier on. Yuji just shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say? It happens I guess."

Kasumi gently shook her head in disappointment to the response.

"You're too soft Yuji, how can you get to where you want to be when you keep holding back?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"It means exactly what I said. You hold back and let other people walk over you to reach their goals, and then you end up going nowhere." Yuji's face then turned slightly serious in reaction to what Kasumi said.

"You probably have a reason for letting this happen, but you need to ask yourself is what you're doing really worth sacrificing your own ambitions." She added and then started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Yuji asked surprisingly.

"Somewhere."

"Come and have a drink with me first. It's been a while since we had the chance to catch up."

"Yuji…"

"Come on!" Yuji interrupted "I'm interested to hear more of your analysis of me. Unless you're worried you will hurt my feelings."

"I'm not worried about that."

"Well then you have no reason to object."

Kasumi turned around, almost hesitant to accept Yuji's request but answered "One drink."

**Chapter 12-Origins Of A Black Heart!**

Location: Kaiba Dome

Outside the Kaiba Dome Hayate was on his cell phone, finishing a conversation he was having with someone.

"Yeah okay" he chuckled "Well I have to go now so take care of yourself and I'll see you next weekend okay? I love you too Mum, bye."

As he hanged up the phone he heard a girl's voice saying "So you do have a nice side after all."

Hayate turned to his left in frustration to see it was Ayaka who said that.

"Were you listening?!" Hayate asked angrily.

"Of course not! Eavesdropping is very rude you know." She answered in an innocent manner despite being far from it.

Hayate just ignored her and started texting on his phone. During the whole time of him texting, Ayaka didn't take her eyes off Hayate. She stared at him, puzzled, yet curious. Hayate could feel Ayaka's eyes burning on his person so when he finished sending his message he snapped.

"What is it?!"

"Hmm?" she responded calmly.

"Why do you keep staring at me like that?!"

"I'm just surprised that's all."

"Surprised at what?" he asked, irritated by Ayaka's roundabout responses.

"At you."

"Why?"

"Well, I've known you for over a year now and I've never heard you speak so nicely to another person."

"Really?" he said in a tone which was sarcastic and yet disinterested.

"It's true, it's never happened. Of course sweet talking girls don't count as you're getting something at the end of it. So I'm wondering who you were talking to that deserves to hear that nice, sweet Hayate that I didn't know existed."

"None of your business!" Hayate snapped, but it did not deter Ayaka who pressed on.

"Is it a girlfriend perhaps? Best friend? Or maybe family like a sister? Or you're mother?"

Hayate eyes slightly widened when Ayaka mentioned mother. She realised that she got her answer at that point.

"I see." She said intriguingly. "So are you close to you're Mum?"

"Maybe." Hayate answered in a stubborn fashion, folding his arms at the same time.

"I'll take that as a yes then."

"Isn't there someone else you can interrogate?"

"No. My taxi is picking me up from here so I guess you will have to do." She answered smiling.

Soon after, the sun finished setting and it was night. The temperature suddenly dropped a little. As the chill began to set in Ayaka folded her arms into her body, in an attempt to stave off the cold.

"You really should have brought a jacket" Hayate smirked.

"Thanks for stating the obvious."

She started to rub her arms in a feeble attempt to stay warm. Hayate sighed and reluctantly took off his blazer and held it out to her. Ayaka looked at him in surprise of the gesture.

"Take it before I change my mind." He warned.

She took the blazer from him and put it on,

"Thank you" she softly said.

"Don't mention it."

Location: Domino Town Centre

Kasumi and Yuji walked into a quiet bar. As they approached the counter Yuji asked Kasumi what she wanted to drink.

"Water" she answered.

"Water? Why do you have to be so boring?"

Kasumi scowled at him so Yuji put his arms up in apologetic fashion.

"Fine! Whatever you say, a water and a coke please?" Yuji asked the barman.

"And you're saying that I'm boring?" Kasumi questioned, due to Yuji's choice.

"Have to take a little ride on my bike later, so nothing strong tonight."

They received their drinks as Yuji paid for them. They went to a table at the right corner of the bar and sat down, sitting across each other. Kasumi folded her arms looking at Yuji as he sipped his drink.

"What do you want Yuji?" she asked callously.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

Kasumi continued to stare at Yuji, which basically answered the question. So Yuji continued.

"Well it's like I said earlier. It's been ages since we hanged out due to whatever reason. So I thought this was a chance I should take to just spend some time together you know, even if it's for a little while. That's all."

Kasumi sighed and relaxed a little more.

"I apologise" she said softly as she took a sip of her water.

"Don't worry about it. Besides, I'm used to it now."

"Used to what?"

"You being like this."

"I'm not being like anything."

"Yeah right!" Yuji chuckled. "You've always been like this!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on Kasumi, you must know. The cold stares, the harsh comments, the brutal duelling."

"So?" she said as she was about to take another sip of her drink.

"So…you act like you hate the world or something."

"I don't. I just hate some of the things in it."

"Who doesn't? But with you…it feels like that you've been permanently scorned by something."

Kasumi then suddenly froze as an image of a woman flashed in front of her eyes, just when the glass was about to reach her lips. Yuji realised at this point that maybe he was on the right track.

"Or maybe by someone…"

"Yuji." Kasumi said in a tone saying to leave the subject alone.

"Therefore, you take it out on the rest of us as a way of dealing with it…"

"Yuji please." she said again putting her glass down in annoyance of his persistence.

"But it doesn't have to be that way; I can help if you tell me…"

"Just stop!" she snapped. Yuji then stopped, surprised by her reaction.

"Just stop Yuji."

She then got up and was about to leave until Yuji grabbed her arm. She turned to face Yuji as he got up. He said in a gentle tone.

"I'm sorry…I was just trying to help…I didn't mean to hurt you." As he said this, Yuji placed his other hand on Kasumi's cheek. For a brief moment Kasumi liked the warm feeling of Yuji's hand and she placed her hand on top of Yuji's hand on the cheek, but then replied.

"I know…I have to go." She took Yuji's hand off her cheek. She then proceeded to walk out of the bar as Yuji let go of her arm.

As she left the bar she walked around for a while before arriving at a small park. She sat down on the park bench with her head down and hands clasped together.

Kasumi: ("Yuji, you idiot. I had almost forgotten about my past but you had to go and drag it all back up again. So yes, I was permanently scorned by someone and it's someone who I will hate for the rest of my life.")

As she raised her head and looked up to the stars of the night sky, she started to recall memories of her past.

_FLASHBACK-8 years ago_

_It was a mild but cloudy day in the morning in East Tokyo. Walking on her way to school was a young girl, who was about 11 years old. She had soft, caring brown eyes and long, tied, silky black hair reaching her middle back. She was a wearing a school uniform of a white t-shirt, grey skirt, grey tights and black shoes. However the uniform itself was not in great condition. There were holes in the skirt and tights and her shoes looked old and worn out. She walked with her head down and a face which expressed pain and sorrow, until she heard a voice._

"_Kasumi!" a girl called out._

_She lifted her head up in surprise to her name being called and she saw another girl walking towards her, waving and smiling. She had short wavy orange hair, and had sky blue eyes. She was wearing the same uniform as Kasumi was but her uniform was in pristine condition. As Kasumi saw her she put on a fake smile_

"_Hi Hinata!" she responded._

"_Hi! Are you ready for school?" she said in a joyful manner. Kasumi smile disappeared and she then looked to one side_

"_I…guess"_

"_Huh? What's with that attitude Kasumi? You should be happy!"_

"_I suppose so" She said quietly, unbeknownst to Hinata that she has been having a few problems with a few of the older students._

_Hinata looked up and down Kasumi, checking out the uniform she was wearing._

"_You're Mum still hasn't got a new uniform for you?" Hinata asked._

_She gently shook her head to answer the question but continued with a smile "But she promised me that she will get me one soon."_

"_Okay. Shall we get going?"_

_Kasumi nodded as the two girls started to walk towards school._

_It was late afternoon with the clouds looking slightly more menacing than earlier. Kasumi was walking back from school after it had finished about half an hour ago. As usual, she took a shortcut to her house by going walking through the local park. As she did this she noticed three girls in the older years from her school. She tried to quickly walk pass them but they saw her and started their taunting._

"_Well if it isn't Dirty K." a girl said._

"_You're clothes are literally so…last year." Another girl sniggered._

_The third one was about to attempt to steal Kasumi's bag but one of them said_

"_Don't touch her! You may catch something; I heard she sleeps with rats." Kasumi then quickly ran off, holding back her tears as much as she could as the girls mockingly laughed._

_A now depressed Kasumi was walking down a street in a residential area. As she was walking past the houses in the area her eyes caught on something. Outside one of the terraced houses was a blue saloon car. As she continued looking she recognised the car and her face beamed with excitement._

_Kasumi: ("Aunty is here!")_

_She quickly ran towards the house that the car was parked in front of. She raced up the little steps towards the house and was going to knock on the door but when her hand touched it the door moved slightly, it was unlocked. She opened the door and went inside. The front room was small and bland. It was decorated with brown wallpaper and brown carpets with an equally bland sofa. A small TV was set up in the corner and next to the sofa was a table which had a small number of beer bottles sitting on it, a usual sight for Kasumi. There was no-one currently in the front room but she then heard voices in the kitchen. She crept up to the kitchen door, opened it slightly ajar and peeked in. _

_She saw two women standing inside; they looked very similar in terms of looks and ages, around 30 years or so. Both were attractive with brown eyes and silky black hair but one of the women looked a bit worse for wear. One of them had her hair cut to shoulder length. She was wearing a beige coloured jumper with beige trousers and white shoes. The one who was worse for wear wore her hair down and reached her mid-back. She was wearing a black t-shirt underneath a denim blue jacket, old blue jeans and trainers. The two of them were talking but there was a sense of animosity in the conversation._

"_I don't understand Reina, why not?" the woman in beige asked in a frustrating manner._

"_Because I said so, that's why." Reina replied._

_The other woman shook her head in disgust and disappointment._

"_What you're doing is wrong and you know it!"_

"_So you came all this way to lecture me is that it?"_

"_No Reina! You're spiralling out of control, and you won't let me help you!"_

"_So you're way of helping is taking my daughter off me? So you can show me up right? Show to the rest of the family how the great Saika can never do wrong?!"_

"_No! This is not about that at all!"_

"_Really?! Whatever you say Saika, but me and Kasumi are happy with the way things are so just do me a favour and leave!"_

_Saika shook her head in great disappointment._

"_How you can be happy when you are such a selfish person? You've never think about anyone but yourself and it's killing your daughter!"_

"_Maybe I am selfish, but do you want to know why Saika?! Because I WAS happy! I was so happy until Kasumi came onto the scene!"_

"_She's your daughter!!"_

"_She was a mistake!" Kasumi's eyes widened in horror, her body completely frozen from the comment._

"_What did you say?!" Saika asked angrily. Reina just ignored her and went to the fridge to take out a bottle of beer. Before she could open it Saika snatched the bottle from her._

"_How can you even say that?! She is your daughter!! Your own flesh and blood!!"_

_Realising what she said Reina then felt a little regret and calmed down. Saika put the bottle down on the kitchen surface and took a few steps closer to Reina. She then placed her arm on her shoulder saying calmly._

"_I understand the pain you went through when Shiro left. But this is your daughter we are talking about. She doesn't deserve this. You as her mother should know that."_

"_I do. But you don't understand Saika, every time I see her face, I see him, and she's the reason why he left me."_

"_But Reina"_

"_But nothing, I do my love my daughter Saika, I do. But not in the way that a mother should."_

_After that comment the kitchen door was closed shut, both women looked at the door and then heard the front door slam. Saika knew who it was but went to see to make sure. Reina however, just picked up her beer, opened it and started drinking._

_Saika went out of the front door and saw Kasumi sitting at the bottom of the steps with her head down. She went down the steps and sat next to her._

"_Kasumi?" she called quietly, she put her hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off, looking the other direction._

"_Look Kasumi, your Mum…she didn't mean those things, you know that right?" she said in a gentle manner._

"_Mum hates me, she always has done." Kasumi replied, her voice breaking mid-sentence._

"_No, she doesn't. She was just angry at me and said things to upset me, your Mum loves you and will always love you."_

_Kasumi then turned to face Saika. Saika felt distraught to see her niece so upset with tears flowing like a stream down her face._

"_Then why Aunty? Why does it feel like she hates me?" a broken Kasumi asked. Saika then hugged her as she broke down crying, while Reina watched them through the window._

"Hey." A male voice said.

As Kasumi focused herself and looked ahead she saw Yuji standing in front of her. He went and sat down next to her on the bench.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned due to what happened earlier.

"I'm fine, Yuji" she replied.

Yuji moved a little closer and put his arm around Kasumi and said "Look Kasumi, I'm not forcing you or anything, but I can tell you're upset about something. So if you want to talk about it, then I'm here."

Kasumi was defensive at first, keeping silent despite what Yuji said. But when she looked deeply into his eyes she felt a strong sense of trust in him. Therefore, she opened up and said "A person in my past broke my heart and I've never been able to forgive her, to this day."

"Who did?" Yuji asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"My mother"

Location: Domino Town Centre

In the town centre Ryusei, Shinji and Vanessa were in the same small restaurant, sitting on the stools having some ramen.

"Has Kazuma gone now?" Ryusei asked.

"Yeah, he's probably be boarding quite soon." Vanessa answered "But anyway, how about your duel earlier today? That was an impressive last turn!"

"It wasn't too bad I guess." Ryusei answered as he took another mouthful.

"You should really give yourself more credit Ryusei." Shinji said "Not many people can pull something like that out of the bag."

"Well if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have made it through that duel, so thanks again Shinji."

"That is very true but now you have to deal with Kasumi, which will be very hard." Vanessa said.

"She seems very strong, and her Judgment Dragon is very powerful." Shinji continued.

"I already know how to deal with that card." Ryusei replied, almost not bothered with their concerns. Shinji and Vanessa's eyes widened in surprised to Ryusei's answer.

"How?!" they both asked intriguingly.

"Wait and see." Ryusei answered as he continued eating his meal.

Location: Kaiba Dome

Hayate was still outside talking with Ayaka in a much calmer state than earlier on.

"Really?" Ayaka asked.

"That's how it is. Dad is more of a teacher than a parent. Always testing me, advising me and all that. He wants me to be the next big thing in the business world, following his successes and my grandfather's."

"Is that something you really want?"

Hayate deeply sighed, expressing his doubt "To be honest I don't know. I've always seen myself being involved in business one way or another. However, I feel there's too much pressure on me. I would prefer it if my father backed off and let me make my own mistakes. Instead he scrutinises every decision I make, and always in a negative manner. He even doubted this tournament when I ran the idea past him."

"Why?"

"Didn't think it was practical enough, and that I wouldn't make a big enough return of profit from the idea so it would be pointless. So I did it anyway, mainly to prove him wrong. If however, I have made a mistake from doing this, then I learn from it."

Ayaka softly smiled at him, and was a little surprised learning about Hayate and his home life.

"So what about you?"

"Well, I am the youngest of three sisters. The one above me is currently studying abroad in America, the eldest one is a businesswoman in Osaka."

"I'm guessing you don't get to see them often."

Ayaka nodded to answer Hayate's statement "I don't really mind as we always get together in the holidays. However, my eldest sister has been coming less and less."

"Well if she is good at what she does then she won't get much time off in business."

"I know that, but I feel that there is more to it. For some reason it feels like we have drifted apart, especially this past year."

"Why?"

Ayaka paused for a while, desperately thinking for an answer to what possibly could have happened. As she struggled to think she suddenly heard a car horn beep. As she looked up she saw that her taxi was here.

"Looks like I have to go." She was about to take the jacket off and give it back to Hayate but he put his hand up to stop her.

"Keep it."

Ayaka gave a little smile as she walked over to her taxi and got in. The taxi drove out of the stadium, heading west.

Back at the park, Kasumi and Yuji were still sitting at the bench, talking.

"Your mother?" Yuji asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

"But why?"

Kasumi stayed silent as another memory came into mind.

_FLASHBACK-5 years ago_

_A slightly older Kasumi now at 14 was standing outside her school. It was just her second week into the new school year and she was already looking depressed and reserved. She took a deep breath and walked towards the school as the bell rang._

_As she opened her bag to take a few books out a hand came down and slapped the books, causing them to fall on to the floor. A group of girls started laughing as this happened. As Kasumi was picking up her books one of the girls kicked a book down the hall. She and her friends then walked away, laughing, while a tiresome looking Kasumi went down the hall to get her book._

_It was around 2pm. Kasumi was sitting right in the middle of the classroom, paying dutiful attention to what the teacher was saying. This continued for a short while until there was a knock on the classroom door. An older woman, with short black hair and glasses, wearing a green suit opened the door. She was the headmistress of the school._

"_Sorry to interrupt, but can I speak to Kasumi for a moment?" she asked._

_The teacher obliged as Kasumi got up from her seat and went out of the classroom. She followed the headmistress to her office thinking that she may be in trouble over something. As they reached the office the headmistress entered first._

_It was a medium sized office with a professional look to it. Photos of staff and certificates of excellence were framed and hanging on walls around the place. At the back was a desk full of neatly piled folders, a computer on the left and a large black chair tucked underneath. As she went to her chair Kasumi shortly followed afterwards. She then noticed sitting on the other side if the desk was her Aunty Saika._

"_Aunty?" Kasumi said, surprised to see her here. Saika turned to look at Kasumi with a brave face on._

"_Kasumi" she replied. She got up from her chair and asked Kasumi to sit down. Kasumi went and sat down as Saika knelt down so they were eye to eye._

"_Am I in trouble or something?" Kasumi asked worryingly._

"_Not at all" The headmistress said, she hesitated slightly but continued in saying "It's just your aunty has something to tell you."_

"_What is it?" she asked looking at her aunt._

_Saika paused for a while, summoning some courage before saying "It's about your mother."_

"_What about her?"_

"_She…was unwell today and…had to go to the hospital…and she…"_

"_She's okay isn't she?_

_Saika was desperately trying to hold back her tears as she said._

"_There were complications…and the doctors did everything they could, but…"_

_With tears filling up her eyes, Kasumi shook her head in denial saying "No…no"_

"_I'm sorry." Saika said while her voice breaking as tears fell down her face._

_Kasumi was completely distraught and started screaming loudly, which was heard in some of the classrooms. Saika went and hugged Kasumi tightly as she broke down crying._

"Kasumi?" Yuji asked, as Kasumi's mind was elsewhere, she then remembered Yuji's question and replied with,

"Because she wasn't a mother, the only thing we had together is that we shared the same blood."

"But…"

"She was a woman who hated me." Yuji was really surprised as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "In my years at school, I was bullied and envied for a while because of my looks and kindness. Maybe they thought I was perfect or something but that was not the case. My mother treated me like crap. She chose alcohol over me and for what? Just because my father couldn't cope with having a kid at a young age so he left."

Yuji didn't know how to react to this as he's never seen Kasumi be so open before.

"So because my father left, she blamed me for the break up. Hence, the hatred, name calling, verbal abuse, sometimes physical too. She even said that I was a mistake and that she would never love me as a real mother should. The fact is that she wasn't capable of love. She didn't love me when I was born and didn't love me when she died."

As she was saying this a tear dropped from Kasumi's right eye down her cheek, despite having a cold, expressionless face.

"Kasumi…"

"So there Yuji, maybe now you can understand why I'm way I am."

"I can never understand the pain that you went through Kasumi. But you don't have to be the way you are now. You said you were kind and caring in the past. So despite everything that's happened you can still be that person."

"I can't. Even if I wanted to, I hate my mother too much. She caused me too much pain and suffering for me to ever forgive her."

"If you can't forgive her then you will always carry a burdened heart! You will never be able to move on with your life!"

"I don't care. My heart was already blackened by the scars left by my mother. If it stays that way for the rest of my life, so be it." She wiped the tear, got up from the bench and started to walk away. Yuji got up also straight away and called her.

"Kasumi!"

She stopped and regained her composure, turned around and said coldly "You can't help me Yuji. I can't go back to the person I used to be. That person died a long time ago, so the sooner you accept that the better." Kasumi then turned her back on Yuji and walked away.

Location: Kaiba Dome

The time was 7:57pm. Everyone had taken to their seats in the stadium, excited about the next duel which was about to begin. Hayate just entered into the VIP room while Tasuku and Yuri was already there watching.

"Has it started yet?" He asked as he was just about to take a seat.

"The announcer has just brought them in." Tasuku answered.

"Good." He replied as he sat down and relaxed watching the plasma TV.

At the stadium Ryusei and Kasumi just ascended onto the playing field and walked towards each other. They gave each other their Decks and shuffled them. As Kasumi was shuffling the deck, images were going through her head of her past, especially moments when her Mum verbally abused her.

"All the best out there." Ryusei said as he was about to hand Kasumi's Deck back to her. Instead she snatched it from him and dumped Ryusei's deck onto his hand. Ryusei just shrugged off what happened and walked to his end of the field. As both duellists reached their spot they inserted their Decks and activated their Duel Disks.

"ALL RIGHTY THEN! LET THE DUEL COMMENCE!" the announcer shouted

"Duel!" Ryusei and Kasumi shouted to declare the start of the match.

LP (Ryusei-4000/Kasumi-4000)

"My turn, draw!" Ryusei declared. "I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (1800/700) in attack mode! I play a card face down and end my turn."

"My turn." Kasumi said as she drew her card. More images of her past then flooded into her head and she started to grit her teeth in anger. Ryusei noticed this and realised this is a different Kasumi to the one who faced Ayaka.

"I summon Jenis, Lightsworn Mender (300/2100) in defense mode." A red haired woman appeared, wearing a long white and gold dress with a cape, and a gold rod with an emerald top.

"Next I play the spell Double Summon, which allows me to summon another monster this turn, so come forth Jain, Lightsworn Paladin (1800/1200)! Jain, attack Kycoo now!" the monster charged forward, shouting in preparation for her attack.

"When Jain attacks a monster she gains 300 points in the Damage Step making her attack 2100!" The monster then slashed her sword across Kycoo's chest causing it to shatter.

LP (3700/4000)

"I end my turn and in my End Phase, Jain sends the top two cards from my Deck to the Graveyard (Realm of Light, Lyla). But then Jenis' effect activates. When a Lightsworn monster's effect sends cards to the Graveyard I can inflict 500 points of damage to you and I gain 500 life points."

Jenis raised her rod above her head as it glowed, and shot out two rays in different directions. One hit Ryusei causing him to flinch and the other softly embalmed Kasumi.

LP (3200/4500)

"Your turn."

As Ryusei looked at Kasumi he was puzzled.

Ryusei: ("It seems she is a lot more aggressive than the previous duel. But something doesn't feel right either.")

"Ryusei, you cannot win today." she coldly stated, "Why not?"

"Because you lack an emotion that is required if you want to defeat anyone that stands in your way."

Ryusei looked back sternly at Kasumi and asked "And what emotion is that?"

As Kasumi looked at Ryusei she could see the image of her mother standing in his place.

"Hate"

To be continued.

Preview: The duel continues between Ryusei and Kasumi with the winner facing Hayate in the final. Kasumi continues her aggressive play but more memories, especially her life changing day also hinder her performance. Ryusei then tries to get Kasumi to open up so that he can try and help her. Kasumi ignores him and summons Judgment Dragon to represent her fury.

Chapter 13-Semi Final Match! Fury of Judgment Dragon!


	13. Chapter 13 Semi Final Match! Fury Of JD!

"I summon Jenis, Lightsworn Mender (300/2100) in defense mode." A red haired woman appeared, wearing a long white and gold dress with a cape, and a gold rod with an emerald top.

"Next I play the spell Double Summon, which allows me to summon another monster this turn, so come forth Jain, Lightsworn Paladin (1800/1200)! Jain, attack Kycoo now!" the monster charged forward, shouting in preparation for her attack.

"When Jain attacks a monster she gains 300 points in the Damage Step making her attack 2100!" The monster then swung her sword and slashed across Kycoo's chest causing it to shatter.

LP (3700/4000)

"I end my turn and in my End Phase, Jain's effect sends the top two cards from my Deck to the Graveyard (Realm of Light, Lyla). But then Jenis' effect activates. When a Lightsworn monster's effect sends cards to the Graveyard I can inflict 500 points of damage to you and then I gain 500 life points."

Jenis raised her rod above her head as it glowed, and shot out two bright rays in different directions. One ray hit Ryusei causing him to flinch while the other ray softly embalmed Kasumi.

LP (3200/4500)

"Ryusei, you cannot win today." she coldly stated.

"Why not?"

"Because you lack an emotion that is required if you want to defeat anyone that stands in your way."

Ryusei looked back sternly at Kasumi and asked "And what emotion is that?"

As Kasumi looked at Ryusei she could see the image of her mother standing in his place.

"Hate."

**Chapter 13-Semi Final Match! Fury Of Judgment Dragon!**

"Hate?" Ryusei questioned.

"That's right."

Ryusei had a look of disappointment on his face after hearing this.

"You don't believe me?" Kasumi asked.

"No, I don't."

"Well it's true. Whether you like it or not you need hate to become stronger, to be able to move forward."

"If that's what you really believe, then you are misguided."

Kasumi's face turned more serious than usual as Ryusei continued.

"Hate doesn't give you anything. It holds you back and makes you weak."

"And how would you know that?"

"Believe me, I know."

Ryusei and Kasumi had their eyes fixed on each other, seemingly competing in a battle of wills. Tension started to build in the stadium before Kasumi broke the silence by saying,

"Whatever, it's your move by the way."

Ryusei was about to draw but Kasumi interrupted it by saying,

"And make it quick, I hate people who waste my time."

"My turn, draw!" Ryusei looked at what he drew and nodded.

"I play Brain Control so I pay 800 Life Points to take control of your Jenis."

LP: (2400/4500)

Kasumi was unmoved as Jenis slowly moved to Ryusei's side of the field.

"I now release Jenis so I can summon Chaos Command Magician (2400/1900)! Chaos Command Magician attacks your Paladin, and since a Spellcaster is attacking I can activate my face down, Magician's Circle! So now both players must summon a Spellcaster with 2000ATK or less from their Deck!"

"Kasumi went through her Deck and selected a card.

"I summon Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress (1700/300)."

"And I summon Magical Marionette (2000/1000)! Chaos Command Magician will continue his attack!"

The Magician shot out a dark ray from its mini staff, destroying Kasumi's monster.

LP (2400/3900)

"Magical Marionette, attack her sorceress!"

Marionette sent her puppet forward which, pulled out two knives and did a double slash on Lyla, which shattered into many pieces.

LP (2400/3600)

The Domino East fans started cheering as Ryusei now had the advantage, to the dismay of the all the other male fans in the stadium.

"Good work Ryusei!" Shinji shouted out, while Vanessa gave a little smile. On the upper terrace of the stadium, the same girl who watched Ryusei's first match, was present and was watching closely. She also gave a little smile, showing appreciation of Ryusei's last turn.

"I end my turn." Ryusei declared.

Kasumi put her fingers on her Deck and drew her card silently.

"Can I ask you a question?" Ryusei said just before Kasumi was about to make her move.

"If you believe in what you said earlier, why do you have so much hate?"

Kasumi paused as a few images of her mother and her dark past flashed before her eyes, stirring her emotions. She then gave a vile glare at Ryusei and replied coldly.

"None of your business! I play Premature Burial, so I pay 800 Life Points to resurrect my Jain, Lightsworn Paladin (1800/1200)."

LP (2400/2800)

"Because you played a Spell Card, my Marionette gets a Spell Counter, increasing its ATK by 200 (Magical Marionette-2200/1000)." Kasumi just ignored him and continued.

"I then release my monster to summon my Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon (2000/1600)."

A sleek white dragon flew up into the air with long blonde hair and widespread wings, wearing the white and gold trim armour across its chest and legs.

Ryusei looked up at the dragon as it descended, clearly remembering it from the duel with Ayaka earlier today.

"My Dragon gains 300 ATK and DEF for every differently named Lightsworn monster in my Graveyard. Since I currently have three in my Graveyard, Gragonith gains 900 points!" The dragon gave a high pitched roar as its power increased (Gragonith-2900/2500).

Kasumi saw a very quick image of her mother standing in Ryusei's place which stirred up more anger within her.

"Gragonith! Crush his Marionette with Justice Breath!!"

The dragon took a deep breath and fired out an almighty beam of white light. Ryusei put his hands up to protect his eyes from the light as it hit his Magical Marionette. As the light started to envelope the field, Kasumi started to recall another memory.

_FLASHBACK-4 years ago_

_It was early morning, around 8:15am. The sky was covered with dark, menacing clouds, which expressed their anger by bringing heavy rain. A black hatchback car just drove through a puddle on the right hand side of the road. In the passenger seat was Kasumi (now at 15) staring aimlessly out the window, watching the world go by in the city. Driving the car was Saika. She became Kasumi's legal guardian after the passing of Kasumi's mother. She was wearing a white blouse, black trousers and shoes, seemingly dressed for work. There was silence during the whole journey until they reached the school. Saika slowed down and parked the car just outside the school._

"_I'll come by and pick you up after school okay?" she said._

_Kasumi seemed to ignore her as she stared at the school building, reminiscing the day that she heard the news that turned her life upside down. Her mother's passing._

"_Kasumi?" Saika called in an attempt to get her attention._

"_I don't want to go in." Kasumi replied._

_Saika sighed at the response. "Well you have to."_

"_Every time I go inside that building, I remember."_

_Saika looked down, realising she was talking about that day last year._

_I remember crying for hours. In fact, I cried for days until I couldn't cry anymore. But then I remember all the pain she put me through for all those years. Sometimes I would sit up at night, remembering what it was like when I was with her, and I think to myself, what did I do to deserve such a cruel upbringing?"_

"_Kasumi…"_

"_I loved my mother so much that I stuck by her despite what she did to me. Yet, she resented me being born and that I was responsible for ruining her life." A tear then started to fall from her right eye. She took a deep breath to compose herself and then said while wiping her tear away._

"_But that is in the past. Right now, all I feel is hate. I hate her and I will hate her for the rest of my life, just like she hated me."_

_Kasumi opened the car door and quickly got out of the car into the rain. She rushed into the school, trying to stay as dry as possible. Saika looked on at Kasumi, saddened by her revelations but she knew in her heart that Kasumi was right. She was treated badly so she can't be blamed for being angry to her mother. She sighed and then started her car to drive off to work._

_It was afternoon, getting towards the end of lunchtime. Kasumi was walking down the hallway, with her textbooks clutched to her chest. Unfortunately she was walking with her head down so she didn't notice that a girl from the year above was ahead of her. She continued and ended up walking into her, dropping her textbooks at the same time._

"_Watch where you're going!" The girl said in an annoyed fashion._

"_I'm…S-Sorry" Kasumi replied nervously as she bent down to pick up her books. Realising it was Kasumi, the girl continued bullying her._

"_Oh it's you. You know, a dog like you should really learn your place."_

_As other girls sniggered Kasumi just ignored her as she picked up her books._

"_I'm talking to you, bitch!" the girl shouted. She then pushed Kasumi over, which caused Kasumi to fall face-down onto the floor. As other students laughed, Kasumi slowly got up._

"_What are you doing? Don't you know dogs stay on the ground?" the girl said in a taunting manner as she pushed over Kasumi again._

"_They have to listen to their masters, so stay!"_

_More students laughed but Kasumi took no notice and stood back up again. Starting to feel frustrated the girl walked up to Kasumi and then slapped her causing Kasumi to crash to the ground._

"_I told you to stay!"_

_Some of the students were unhappy with what was going on while others revelled in the torment._

_Kasumi lied on the floor holding her face, eyes closed, almost about to cry._

"_Aw, you going to start crying?" the girl mockingly said. "You are so pathetic, just a complete waste of space. I swear if I had a daughter who was like you, I would want to kill myself too."_

_Kasumi eyes shot wide open at that comment._

"_Just…like…Mommy…dearest." She taunted._

_Something inside Kasumi's mind snapped. She got up screaming and charged at the girl, tackling her to the floor. Kasumi lost complete control as she started slapping and punching the girl as many times as she could. The girl tried to block them but to no avail. As the students were cheering for the fight, two other girls came and pulled Kasumi off the girl. Kasumi though managed to shake them off and went back to her assault, eventually knocking the girl out. Kasumi was pulled off again, this time by two guys who restrained her against some lockers. The cheering then suddenly stopped. Kasumi, panting heavily was then shocked as she just realised what she had done._

Kasumi's mind came back into the duel just as her Gragonith destroyed Ryusei's Marionette.

LP: (1700/2800)

She paused for a moment to regain her focus and then continued her turn.

"I set a card face down and end my turn. Gragonith then sends the top three cards from my Deck to the Graveyard (Lightning Vortex, Solar Recovery and Necro Guardna)."

"You still haven't answered my question." Ryusei pressed.

"That's because you don't need to know the answer."

"Why do you have so much hate?"

Kasumi again remembered a few moments in her past where she got abuse from her mother and answered back callously.

"Why do you even care? You don't even know me!"

"No, I don't. But you remind me of someone I knew not so long ago, his hatred for the world burned more strongly than anything else in his life. In the end it nearly cost him everything, so I don't want to see that happen to another person."

This caused a few murmurs in the crowd.

"Who is Ryusei talking about?" Vanessa asked.

"I have no idea." Shinji answered.

In the VIP room, the guys didn't really care much about the statement, especially Hayate. He had no reaction to Ryusei's comment and just continued watching the match with his arms folded.

The girl on the terrace continued watching and like Hayate, she had no reaction to what Ryusei just said.

Kasumi glared at Ryusei with contempt.

"So what, you see yourself as my saviour, from this so called dark path?" Kasumi asked. "Well I have news for you Ryusei, I don't need saving from anything."

"Yes you do. You're in a world of despair and darkness, and therefore you think hate is the only way to get through it. But you're only sinking deeper into the darkness! Whatever it is you hate so strongly, you have to let it go to be at peace and move on!"

"If I wanted your advice, I wouldn't ask, so shut up and make your move, now!"

Ryusei gritted his teeth in frustration, but followed Kasumi's orders and was about to draw his card.

Ryusei: ("I have to get through to her somehow; she doesn't understand that she is following a path of destruction and loneliness.")

"My turn!" Luckily for him, he drew Cybernetic Magician, but then he remembered something.

Ryusei: ("Cybernetic Magician. With this I can take down her dragon before it becomes too powerful. However, if I do that she will then have the requirements to summon Judgment Dragon. I'm not ready to face it now but I must be ready when the time comes.")

"I release my Chaos Command Magician to summon Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000)! I use its effect to discard a card (Mind Control) to limit Gragonith's ATK to 2000!"

The magician shot out a white ray of light from his hand, weakening the dragon (Gragonith-2000/2500).

"Cybernetic Magician, attack Gragonith with Light Cyber Blast!" Another ray of light was fired, this time from his staff which destroyed the dragon.

LP (1700/2400)

"All right Ryusei!" Vanessa cheered, along with the rest of the Domino East fans.

"I end my turn." He declared.

"My turn then, draw." Kasumi announced.

"Listen Kasumi…"

"Don't even bother trying." Kasumi interrupted. "Do yourself a favour and stay out of my business! I play Pot of Greed so I draw two cards. I then set two cards face down on the field and end my turn."

"Kasumi!"

"Don't you know when to give up? I don't want or need your help, so just shut up and duel!"

"I can't do that, not before I know why you are like this!"

"Why am I like what?!"

"Like someone who despises the world and everything in it! No one ever starts off with so much hate! Something must have happened for you to be this way!"

Kasumi still was defiant in her refusal to answer Ryusei's question, so she stubbornly turned her head to the side.

"I don't get it. She's not going to listen to him. So why is Ryusei trying so hard to help her?" Vanessa questioned.

"I don't know I've never seen him so desperate to help someone before." Shinji answered.

"I will get through to you by the end of this duel. My turn, I play Pot of Greed so I draw two cards!"

Ryusei smiled at what he saw.

"I now summon Maiden of Macabre (1700/0) in attack mode!"

"You triggered my face down, Sentence For Justice. By sending the top three cards of my Deck to the Graveyard I can negate the summoning of a monster and destroy it." A bright light was fired from the Trap, which then caused Ryusei's Maiden to explode.

"Even though that was a good play, you are still wide open. Cybernetic Magician, end this duel with a direct attack!"

The magician twirled his staff and shot out a large ray of light. As the light travelled towards Kasumi, she recalled another memory just before impact.

_FLASHBACK-3 years ago_

_It was an autumn morning, on a dry murky day in the suburbs of Yokohama. The area was peaceful as a black hatchback drove through the area. Inside the car were Saika and Kasumi. Due to the events that happened months ago at her old school, Kasumi was expelled with immediate effect. Saika then decided she and Kasumi will move to get a fresh start and to find a school that was willing to take her. Hence, they ended up in Yokohama. Kasumi has been going to her new school for about a month now and was on her way for another day. They arrived at the school and Kasumi got out of the car._

"_I'll pick you up this afternoon." Saika said._

_Kasumi nodded in response just as Saika started driving away. Kasumi put her bag on her shoulder and walked towards the school._

_When Kasumi was walking down the hall, people stopped doing whatever they were doing to take notice or they moved out of the way if she was heading in their direction. As she went to her locker to put a few textbooks in a group of guys were watching from a distance._

"_I don't get it, why are people so scared of her?" one of them asked._

"_Don't you know anything?!" another replied._

"_Why, who is she?"_

"_Kasumi Fujia."_

"_Who?"_

"_How can you not know that name?! She was in the news a few months back."_

"_Why, did she save someone?"_

"_Please don't tell me you don't remember the school story? About some crazed chick who beat up another student to near death?!"_

"_Wait, was that her?"_

"_Yeah it was, that's why people are wary here; don't want to cause any trouble in case she comes after you."_

_Kasumi just then shut her locker and walked past the group of guys, without looking at them and headed towards the girl's bathroom. As she entered the bathroom a group of girls were chatting while freshening up. When they noticed Kasumi walk in the girls quickly packed up their stuff and exited the bathroom. Kasumi put her bag down and just stared at her reflection in the mirror thinking to herself._

_Kasumi: ("Because of what happened before they are all afraid of me. I thought I could come here to get a fresh start but obviously I was wrong. I was alone back then after Hinata moved away and I'm alone now. Everyone thinks that I'm a cold hearted bitch who would just attack anyone that gives me a wrong look. Even though I am trying my hardest to prove I'm nothing like that, it doesn't seem to matter. But on the other hand, this feeling of being feared, having control over others is so stimulating. It makes me feel so strong, almost untouchable, and that's what I want. I was too weak in the past so now I want to be the one who's in control; I want to inflict pain instead of taking it, and to do this I have...I have to be like my mother. Even though I will hate her until the day I die, I have to be like her to become strong, driven and feared. Starting from now no one will be able to hurt me again.")_

_Kasumi picked up her bag and walked out of the bathroom. As soon as she stepped out a girl was running in her direction without looking. Unfortunately the girl ran into Kasumi and both of them fell onto the floor, with a few cards falling from the girl's bag. As they recovered Kasumi noticed the girl, she was the same age at average height, had dark blue wavy hair (A younger Mitsuko). Kasumi just looked at her and then Mitsuko then slightly panicked._

"_I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"_

_She picked up her cards in a panicked state but then handed one out to Kasumi._

"_Please accept this as an apology!" she pleaded. _

_Kasumi slowly took the card and nodded as a sign of saying apology accepted. Mitsuko then quickly ran off. Kasumi got up, watching Mitsuko running down the hall. She then turned over the card which turned out to be Judgment Dragon._

"_Judgment Dragon" she said to herself as she stared at the card, almost feeling an unusual connection to it. _

Kasumi regained her focus and realised she was about to lose the duel. Cybernetic Magician's attack then landed and engulfed her. In the aftermath of the attack though, Kasumi was expressionless and unconcerned as she still had Life Points left.

LP (1700/1200)

"What the…" Ryusei said in surprise.

"I activated my Shrink" Kasumi interrupted. "So your Cybernetic Magician's ATK was halved just before the attack went through."

Domino East fans were disappointed as they thought Ryusei had won. Ryusei looked at the two certain cards in his hand carefully. He took them out of his hand and set them on the field.

"I set two cards face down and end my turn."

"My turn then" Kasumi was about to draw her card but Ryusei interrupted.

"Kasumi! Why do you have so much hate?!"

"You are really pissing me off now!"

"I won't give up until you realise the error of your ways!"

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! You don't know what I've done, what I've been through!"

"I know you are holding on to so much anger, so much hate! You have to realise that you cannot move forward if you can't let go!"

"Why do you keep saying that?!"

"Because I used to be just like you!"

This statement surprised the crowd in general, whilst shocking Shinji and Vanessa.

"I used to have so much hate that I lashed out at the world, but I only ended up hurting the people that I care about. I learned the hard way that hate only leads to pain and destruction! So don't make the same mistake I made! If you're not willing to let go of your past then you will always carry a burdened heart!"

Kasumi then realised that Yuji said a similar thing earlier on this evening and started questioning herself in her mind.

Kasumi: ("Yuji…he said something…just like that…, am I...Have I been wrong?")

She closed her eyes to think and as she did this she saw a strange image. She saw the image of a dragon gliding in the air. The dragon was blue with long, wavy green hair and soft orange eyes. The wings of the dragon resembled large light pink petals and it had a gold breastplate with rubies embedded in it. Kasumi then suddenly opened her eyes and then started to have serious doubts about her purpose.

Ryusei: ("I think its working! I may have gotten through to her!")

Unfortunately for Ryusei, as soon as these doubts came into Kasumi's mind, more images of her mother and her abuse flashed in her eyes, igniting the flames of hate once more.

"Ryusei."

He paid attention, hoping he was successful, but Kasumi then gave him an ice-cold glare.

"I already told you that I don't need your help! So stay out of it!"

"Kasumi!"

"Don't bother Ryusei; this is who I am and how I will be. A person whose heart was blackened many years ago by the scars of hatred! So all I can do now is release my fury to those in my way! Draw!"

She looked at the card she drew and then at Ryusei.

"At this moment I have four differently named Lightsworn monsters in my Graveyard."

"Oh no!" Vanessa shouted.

"This is bad!" Shinji said.

Ryusei: ("It's coming!")

"Because of this I can now Special Summon this card from my hand! Come forth, Judgment Dragon (3000/2600)!!"

A bright pillar of light formed onto the field and as it subsided it revealed a large, white scaled dragon, with feather-like wings and intimidating red-eyes, and blood red claws. As it bellowed out a deafening roar, Ryusei gave a stern look at the dragon. He then looked at Kasumi and saw a face of anger which matched the dragon's face.

"You think hate makes me weak?! That it holds me back?! Well let's see what you think after this! I activate Judgment Dragon's effect! By paying 1000 Life Points I can destroy all cards on the field except itself! STORM OF JUSTICE!!"

LP (1700/200)

The dragon flew up in the air and flapped its gigantic wings causing gale force winds. Ryusei raised one arm up to protect himself and looked at his face downs.

"It's now or never! I activate Divine Wrath! By discarding a card from my hand (Double Spell) I can negate the effect of a monster and destroy it! So your dragon is history!"

"That's what you think!"

"What?!"

"I activate Sworn Execution! By discarding a Lightsworn monster (Celestia, Lightsworn Angel) I can negate your Trap and destroy it!!"

LP (1700/200)

"Ryusei!" Vanessa shouted.

"It's over for you Ryusei!"

"I was waiting for that! Activate Trap Card! Vanity's Call!"

"No!"

"I can only activate this as the 4th card of a chain! By paying half my Life Points it allows me to negate all effects in the current chain and destroy them all!!"

LP (850/200)

A large ball of black smoke appeared with letters and foreign characters surrounding it. It then engulfed the entire field and destroyed all the cards in the chain. As it died down the crowd were stunned as to what happened. Even Yuri and Tasuku were shocked, but Hayate was unmoved while the girl on the terrace gave a little smile.

Kasumi was panting heavily after releasing all her frustration, but Ryusei was still standing tall. She then calmed down and said.

"I end my turn."

A few murmurs came out from the crowd in shock, surprise and expectation of the end of the duel. Especially since Kasumi had an empty field and Ryusei still had his Cybernetic Magician.

"Is it over now?" Shinji asked.

"It's got to be! She's got nothing on the field and in her hand! Plus she only has 200 Life Points left!" Vanessa answered.

Over in the Domino West supporter's section, Mitsuko was sitting in the middle of the section watching. She had a concerned look for Kasumi as she's never seen her like this before. Plus the fact that she was about to lose.

"My turn" Ryusei declared as he drew his card.

Ryusei took a deep breath and hoped this attack will end the duel and get through to Kasumi.

"This attack will hopefully lift the darkness from your heart. Cybernetic Magician! Attack her directly, Light Cyber Blast!"

The Magician fired his ray of light which caused cheers from Domino East crowd and nervousness from West fans. But suddenly, the crowd moods were reversed as the attack was then blocked by the spirit of a monster.

"By removing Necro Guardna from play, I can negate an attack. I always fight to the very end Ryusei."

Ryusei gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"I play a card face down and end my turn."

"My turn" She looked at her card and then flipped it to show Ryusei.

"I activate Judgment Calvary!"

"I don't like the sound of that."

"By removing from play Celestia, Lyla, Jain and Jenis from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Judgment Dragon (3000/2600) from my Graveyard!"

The four monsters disintegrated and came together to form a white light that morphed into Judgment Dragon.

"Judgment Dragon attacks Cybernetic Magician, Judgment Blaze!"

The dragon took a deep breath and blasted out a cyclone of white fire from its mouth, instantly destroying Ryusei's monster.

LP (250/200)

"I set a card face down and end my turn."

"Ryusei!" Vanessa said worryingly.

"Ha! Looks like Kasumi will be your opponent Hai!" Yuri declared as he lifted his bottle with Tasuku in celebration. Hayate was still unmoved though as he continued watching. The girl at the terrace had her own thoughts.

Girl: ("Hmm, this is a chance to see what Ryusei is really like? Is he going to give up and focus on the duel? Or is he going to keep trying to help this girl despite it may cost him victory.")

"Kasumi, you have to listen to me!"

"I swear it's like talking to a brick wall! When are you going to understand that I don't want or need your help?!"

"If you won't listen to me, then I'll let my actions speak for me, I promise you I will get through to you on this last turn! My turn!"

Ryusei drew his card and liked what he saw.

"Kasumi!" he called out with real determination, so she raised her head to pay attention.

"You have a heart full of hate, suffering and darkness! But if you can't let go of your past which your heart begrudges, you will never move forward in life! This card will help me prove that! I summon Breaker The Magical Warrior (1600/1000)! When he's summoned he gets a Spell Counter but I immediately remove that counter to destroy a face down on the field!" Kasumi's face down card then shattered.

"Breaker, attack Judgment Dragon now!"

Breaker drew his sword as the crowd were shocked and gasped at Ryusei's suicide plan.

"Why are you trying to lose?" Kasumi questioned.

"Go Trap Card, Spellcaster's Strike!"

Kasumi widened her eyes in shock of seeing that Trap.

"When a Spellcaster declares an attack this Trap decreases the attacked monster by half its ATK points and it then adds 300ATK to my Breaker (Breaker-1900/1000, Judgment Dragon-1500/2600)!"

Kasumi gave Ryusei a look of contempt in reaction to the play he just made.

"Go Breaker! Destroy her dragon!" His monster flew forward as Judgment Dragon blasted another cyclone of white fire from its mouth. Breaker dodged the attack and flew up high in the air. It then raised it's sword above its head with a warrior's cry, and slashed down the middle of the dragon's body. The dragon gave a loud roar before it exploded, creating an obscene amount of smoke.

LP (250/0)

As the smoke cleared Kasumi was seen hanging her head for a short time, she then raised it and said,

"Congratulations on winning today, but I promise you it won't happen again."

She then walked off the stage. Ryusei was about to call her back but he figured it was pointless now. He did his best to help her and now it's up to her what she does next.

"The duel is over!! The winner is Ryusei Fujiwara!!" the announcer shouted.

The Domino East fans cheered as Shinji and Vanessa celebrated.

"The final is now set for the University Championship! Tomorrow evening, Domino East's Ryusei Fujiwara will take on the current champion and leader of Domino South, Hayate Nakamura!!"

As this was said Hayate got up from his chair and walked to the window where he saw Ryusei on the duelling field. Ryusei looked up to the VIP box and saw Hayate in the window, as the two sternly looked at each other, the girl on the terrace made a phone call.

"It's me………Ryusei won again. He was strongly tested but he came through………What was more interesting is that he was trying to help his opponent with her problems……….Yeah, during the duel………I'm thinking the same thing……….Indeed we must move quickly, I'll leave it up to you."

She hanged up her phone and walked towards the exit of the stadium as the two guys still looked at each other with a burning passion for victory lying within them both.

End of chapter

Preview: Ryusei has another intense dream involving the creature but with surprising results. The dream distracts him from his preparation, but manages to regain focus as the duel between him and Hayate to determine who the superior duellist is begins.

Chapter 14-Rivalry Rematch! Inter-dorm Final Part1!

ORIGINAL CARDS

Sentence For Justice  
Normal Trap  
You can only activate this Trap when your opponent Normal Summons a monster. Send the top three cards from your Deck to the Graveyard to negate the summon of that monster and destroy it,

Sworn Execution  
Counter Trap  
Discard 1 "Lightsworn" monster from your hand to the Graveyard. Negate the activation of a Spell, Trap or Monster Effect and destroy that card.

Judgment Calvary  
Normal Spell  
Remove from play 4 differently named "Lightsworn" Monsters. Special Summon "Judgment Dragon" from your Graveyard.

Spellcaster's Strike  
Normal Trap  
You can only activate this card when a Spellcaster-Type Monster on your side of the field declares an attack. Decrease the ATK of the attacked monster by half its original ATK points. Then add 300ATK Points on to the attacking monster.


	14. Chapter 14 Prep For Battle, Untold Fate!

Location: Kaiba Dome

The time was 9:04pm. Half an hour had just passed after Ryusei's hard fought win over Kasumi. The stadium was now virtually empty as today's events came to a close. Only the cleaners were present, sweeping the floors and doing general tidying up. Ryusei was in a room at the back end of the stadium, where duellists can relax and prepare for their matches. The room was a generic soft blue colour to instil calm within the area. There was a white bed, a couple of armchairs and an en suite present. Ryusei just finished packing his stuff into a backpack and then put on his jacket. He then picked up his motorcycle helmet from a chair and headed out of the building. As he walked outside he saw Vanessa and Shinji waiting for him. They saw him and they waved as Ryusei started walking up to them.

"Hey guys."

"Hey," Shinji replied. "So how…?"

"Congratulations Ryusei!" Vanessa interrupted as she went and hugged him. "The way you won was so awesome! You were absolutely amazing!"

"Err…thanks, and as for the win, it was all right I guess." Ryusei replied in a cool fashion.

Vanessa then broke the embrace,

"Just all right?! You just beat the leader of Domino North and on top of that, you're in the final of the tournament! You could be University Champion!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. There is still one more duel left, and it is against Hayate."

"True, but she has a point Ryusei; you really should give yourself more credit. Taking down a person as strong as Kasumi is quite an achievement." Shinji voiced in support of Vanessa.

"Speaking of which, have you guys seen Kasumi by any chance?"

"No, I'm afraid we haven't."

Ryusei was thinking to himself, wondering what happened to her after their duel. At this time, Vanessa felt a little down as she remembered parts of the conversation Ryusei and Kasumi had during their duel. She then had an urge to ask Ryusei a certain question. However, she was hesitant to ask as she was worried she may not like the answer she will hear.

"Are you heading back to the dorm Ryusei?" Shinji asked.

"Not tonight. Gonna head back to Hiro's, It's been a while since I've seen him."

"That's fair enough. I guess we will see you tomorrow."

Ryusei turned and started walking towards the car park. At that moment, Vanessa finally summed up the courage and called him.

"Ryusei,"

"What is it Vanessa?"

"In the duel with Kasumi…what did you mean…when you said…you were just like her?"

Ryusei replied with a smile, saying "That was a long time ago so you don't have to worry about that, I'll see you later."

As Ryusei headed towards the car park, Shinji went the other direction, towards the main street. Vanessa watched Ryusei for a short while, unable to shake the feeling of wanting to know what happened to Ryusei in the past. Eventually she walked off and joined Shinji.

Ryusei went to his motorcycle and got on it. He was about to put his helmet on but he heard a girl's voice calling his name,

"Ryusei Fujiwara." Ryusei turned to his left to see it was the girl that was standing at the upper terrace who called him.

She walked a little closer, arms folded so that he could see her clearly.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Ryusei looked at the girl with an expressionless face, wondering who she was.

**Chapter 14-Preparation For Battle, Untold Fate!**

"Who are you?" Ryusei asked bluntly.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she replied cheekily.

Ryusei sternly looked at her, his face showing that he wasn't satisfied with the answer she gave him.

"Let's just say that I'm a fan of yours, I watched your duels today and I must say I was very impressed with your skill." The girl continued.

"Are you a student at the uni?"

"No. Just one of the lucky ones that managed to get a ticket, that's all."

"What do you want?"

"Wow, aren't you straight to the point? Here I am trying to make conversation and all you're doing is firing questions at me."

"I have my reasons."

"Such as?"

"Such as my instincts telling me not to trust you."

The girl gave a little smile and then walked seductively towards Ryusei. Ryusei was unmoved by the action as he still didn't trust her. She stopped in front of him, slowly bent down and gently placed her right hand on his leg. She then leaned even closer towards him so that there was very little space between them.

"Well then, tell me," She said in a soft, seductive manner, whilst looking deeply into Ryusei's eyes "What are your instincts telling you now?"

Ryusei, still with a serious face gave no answer, so the girl just smiled.

"The reason I'm here…is because I…have a gift for you." She said very softly. She leant in closer and gave Ryusei a soft, prolonged kiss on the cheek, surprising him a little.

She then moved back and said with a soft smile,

"That was to say congratulations for winning today, and good luck in your next match. I'll see you around."

She then walked out of the car park and headed towards the main street, the same direction as Shinji went. Ryusei watched her walking away until she was out of his view.

Ryusei: ("There's something odd about that girl. I have to be careful around her.")

He put on his helmet and started the engine of his bike. After revving the engine a few times, he then rode out of the car park and turned right to head back to his uncle's house. The girl saw him riding off, so she took her cell phone out of her right pocket and made a phone call.

"He's just left now………………back home I guess…………………..all right." She hanged up and looked at the direction that Ryusei headed.

She then turned around and carried on walking the way she was going earlier.

Location: Hiro's Home

It was now late into the evening, with the time currently just gone 11pm. The moon and the stars were shining an intense bright light onto the ground below on a crisp night. A tired Ryusei had just entered his room. He changed out of his clothes into a white T-shirt and navy blue boxer shorts. He was so exhausted; that he fell onto his bed and instantaneously went to sleep. After what felt like a few minutes, Ryusei woke up by slowly opening his eyes. He felt a little thirsty so he got up slowly from his bed to go downstairs and get a drink. But as he opened his bedroom door, he became wide awake in astonishment as he saw nothing but a dark, dense forest ahead of him.

"What…the hell?" he said quietly to himself as he entered the forest.

He looked to his left and right but all he could see were trees and plants, seemingly stretching out for miles. He turned around to go back to his bedroom but the door had vanished, he saw nothing but more tress. With no other option available, he decided to walk around in an attempt to find any bearings as to where he is.

After walking around for a few minutes he realised that he was in no better position as to when he first started. Just as he deeply sighed as a sign of giving up, he suddenly felt a strong wind blow across the forest. Ryusei put his arms up as the trees shook violently, with some branches being torn off by the strength of the wind. In a few seconds, the wind settled into a gentle breeze. Ryusei put his arms down slowly after realising this and then noticed something. He saw speckles of bright lights being carried by the wind, lights which can only be described as stardust. His eyes widened in horror as he realised what was coming.

"Shit!" he said as he started sprinting through the forest.

Even though there was no sign of anything happening, Ryusei decided not to take any chances. As he ran he was receiving cuts and grazes on his face and body from the many branches and thorn plants that hit him. Eventually he slowed down and stopped, breathing heavily from the running. As he looked ahead he noticed that somehow he was about to reach the end of the forest. As soon as he realised this, he felt a large shadow overcome him. He looked up slowly, hoping that there was nothing there and the shadow was just his imagination. But as he looked up he saw nothing except those piercing yellow eyes that he has seen many times before. That was when he realised, that the creature is back for him again. He started running again, this time he was running faster and breathing harder as he feared for his life.

Very shortly he ended up running out of the forest and into a large field. He looked back for a moment and saw the creature still in pursuit, seemingly gliding towards him. As he faced the front he was shocked to see a woman ahead of him.

"Stop!" she said in a commanding voice.

Ryusei stopped in front of her and to his surprise, the creature stopped as well. Ryusei turned to see the creature was just hovering above the ground, intensely staring at Ryusei.

"How did you…?" he asked but before he could finish he noticed that he actually couldn't see the woman. She was in the form of a shadow.

"Ryusei Fujiwara, why are you running away from your destiny?" she asked in an echoic voice.

"My destiny?" he asked in a confused manner.

"Yes. Though you have been purposely avoiding it for quite some time, you should realise by now that it's pointless to keep resisting. You cannot escape from it."

"I don't even know what you're talking about!"

"I think you do. You know deep down that you were meant to do something. Well I can tell you now that you have been chosen for a greater purpose."

"What purpose?"

"To stop the liberation,"

"Stop the liberation? What does that mean?"

"That I cannot say, but I do know this, the choice you make now, will have an impact on the world's motion. Whether you choose to accept your fate or you continue to refuse it is up to you. However, the wrong choice will have a devastating impact on everyone and everything you care about. The sooner you accept your destiny, the better it will be for everyone."

The creature gave a low growl, seemingly agreeing with the statement.

Ryusei was thinking deeply as he took all this information in, and then broke the silence.

"So what you're saying is that I've been supposedly chosen to stop the liberation? And if I refuse, it will basically affect everything and everyone close to me? That is my so-called destiny?"

"That is correct."

"To be honest, what you just said sounds completely crazy! Why should I believe you?"

"What do I have to gain by making this up?"

Ryusei realised that what this woman has said must have some element of truth. So after some more thinking he made his decision.

"I not sure if I fully understand what you want me to do, and whether I truly believe what you've just said. However, if what you have said is true and there is a chance that the people I care about will get hurt, I have to do whatever it takes to prevent that, so I'll do it."

"Very well,"

"What happens now?"

"Now you must accept the creature."

"What?! Are you talking about that thing?!" he asked pointing at the creature "That thing is trying to kill me!"

"On the contrary, it will help you."

"What?!"

"This creature will guide you towards fulfilling your destiny. Since you have decided to accept your fate, you must accept the ties associated with it."

Ryusei sighed, thinking this time what has he let himself in for.

"So what do I have to do?" he asked in a reluctant tone.

"That's up to you."

Ryusei paused for a while in preparation of a worst case scenario. He then took a deep breath, turned to face the creature and tentatively held his arms out, inviting the creature to come. The creature then gave a loud screech and morphed into a beam of stardust. The beam travelled at speed and hit Ryusei in the chest. He screamed in excruciating pain as the beam seemed to be entering Ryusei's body. When the last of the beam entered Ryusei, he suddenly rose up from his bed.

Ryusei panted heavily after waking up with his hand on his chest. He looked down to his chest and saw that he was okay. His body was sweating and his heart was beating so hard, it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. He ran his hands down his face to calm down and bring himself together. After a moment he looked at his clock to his right, 2:33am.

Ryusei: ("Just another dream, again. But that one felt so real.")

As he usually does after he has an intense dream, he climbed out his bedroom window and went up onto the rooftop of the house. As he looked up to the stars he vividly remembers the ray of stardust hitting him, and the talk of his destiny.

He was thinking to himself as he felt his chest, the area where the beam hit in his dream.

Ryusei: ("I wish I could just put this down to another bad dream but it just feels too real to ignore. But at the same time it doesn't make sense. It has to be just a dream and nothing more, it has to be.")

He spent about ten minutes sitting on the roof, thinking about the dream before he decided to climb back down and go back to bed. As he lied down on his back, he closed his eyes and eventually went back to sleep. Though while he was sleeping, something was happening to Ryusei. On the back of his right wrist, a white light was emitting, and began to slowly trace a shape on his arm.

The next morning arrived quickly in a dry, bland day. The clouds covered the sky in a swarming fashion, giving the sun no chance of breaking through. A lethargic Ryusei woke up and stretched himself in bed. He looked at the time on his clock and it read 10:04am. He rose up from his bed and then noticed something. On his right arm it seemed like he had a tattoo. He was puzzled at first as the tattoo looked like the number eight. However, he took a closer look and concentrated on it. It turned out the tattoo was of a long, thin, scaly dragon whose body was curved so it's tail finished in front of its mouth. Ryusei then realised that the way the dragon's body was curved actually formed the sign of infinity.

"What the hell is this?" He said to himself. "Hiro, he probably did this for a laugh, son of a bitch." He muttered to himself.

He was guessing it was one of those fake ones that can wash off, so he went into the shower. He finished having his shower in about ten minutes and he noticed the tattoo was still there. An angry Ryusei got changed into his clothes quickly and stormed downstairs. He saw Hiro having some cereal in the kitchen.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" Ryusei demanded.

"Do what?" Hiro replied in a way that gave the impression that he couldn't care less what it was.

"You know what I'm talking about!"

"You're gonna have to elaborate."

"You tattooed my arm, while I was sleeping!"

Hiro gave him a perplexed look as if to say, you idiot.

"Even though that would be funny, I didn't. Plus there is no way you could stay asleep while receiving a tattoo."

"Well how do you explain this?!"

Ryusei showed him the back of the wrist, Hiro was then even more confused after seeing Ryusei's arm.

"Now you've completely lost me."

"How do you mean?"

"Because there is nothing on your arm,"

"What?"

"There…is…nothing…on…your…arm." Hiro said slowly to make himself clear.

Ryusei looked at his arm and he could still see it clearly but it seemed Hiro could not.

"How can you not see it?!"

"I think you are still half asleep. Trust me, there is nothing there."

Ryusei was really confused as to what the hell was going on.

"You're not duelling till 5pm right? I suggest you go back to sleep and shake off whatever thoughts you have."

Ryusei just kept silent and went upstairs, he sat on his bed and then lied down facing the ceiling. He lifted his right arm towards him and stared at the tattoo.

Ryusei: ("What the hell is this thing, and how come Hiro couldn't see it? This can't be related to my dream, can it?")

Location: Domino South Dorm

It was now late afternoon, with the weather staying exactly the same as it was in the morning. Inside Hayate's room was Tasuku, Yuri and Hayate himself. Tasuku and Yuri were at a desk working away. They had calculators and numerous sheets of papers with a lot of numbers on them. The sheets in front of Yuri had information regarding ticket sales and other income gained from within the Kaiba Dome. The sheets in front of Tasuku had information and numbers regarding costs and additional expenses, as well as rough working out of some of the information.

Hayate was standing over his bed concentrating on his Deck. He had laid every card in his Deck on his bed in four rows of ten. To the left of it was his side deck which was laid in five rows of three cards. To the right was a small pile of spare cards that he was either considering to add or has taken out from the Decks. After a short while Tasuku and Yuri were double checking some numbers and nodded in agreement about something. They then turned to Hayate to give him some news.

"Hayate" Tasuku called.

"Yeah" He responded, despite his full attention being on his cards.

"We've finished working out the potential earnings."

"And?"

"Obviously due to us booking out the Kaiba Dome and not using the University grounds, any kind of major profit would be impossible to achieve."

"So we're actually forecasted to make a profit?"

"Yeah"

"Margin?"

Yuri scrolled through his sheets and shortly found the answer.

"5%, but we won't know for sure until after the event."

"5%, not too bad I guess."

"Not bad? You should be feeling great bro, making a profit after booking out the Kaiba Dome is no joke!"

"I know, just keeping my focus for today." Hayate replied seriously, still looking at his cards.

Yuri and Tasuku then got up. They both walked and stood either side of Hayate to have a look at his Deck.

"Looks good enough." Yuri said.

"Just need to make one change." Hayate replied back while deliberating. He picked up a card from the Main Deck area and placed it in the spare card pile. He followed by selecting another card in the spare card pile and placing it in the Main Deck area of the bed.

"Done,"

"So this is the Deck that will bring you victory?" Tasuku asked

"I'm sure of it."

Tasuku and Yuri nodded in agreement of Hayate's statement.

"Shall we be on our way?"

"Yeah."

Hayate picked the cards up in a certain order of a Monster Card in between every Spell and Trap to make up his Deck. When he finished it he held it in front of him with the bottom card being Horus LV8.

Hayate: ("You may have beaten me last time Ryusei. But I guarantee you that I will have vengeance and prove that I am the better duellist!")

Location: Kaiba Dome

The time was now 4:45pm. The stadium was nearly full as the final match was starting soon. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric in excitement and anticipation of the final duel. Shinji and Vanessa had just taken their seats in the Domino East section.

"I'm surprised we didn't get a chance to see Ryusei today." Shinji said.

"I know; it would have been nice to wish him good luck. You think maybe he's nervous?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know, he doesn't seem to be the type that gets nerves, but it would explain why we haven't seen him."

At this point Kasumi just arrived at the stadium. She went to the Domino North section of the crowd and saw a seat, right in the middle of the section. She went to that seat and sat down, which was next to Mitsuko.

"Hey" Mitsuko greeted her. Kasumi gave no response and just sat down at her seat.

"Umm…Kasumi?" Mitsuko said hesitantly. "Are you…"

"I'm just here to watch the duel and that's it, nothing else." Kasumi interrupted. Mitsuko then sighed in sorrow as it seems that she can't seem to help her friend.

Yuji then came in afterwards and searched to find a seat also. He went to the Domino Central section and headed towards the middle.

"About time!" a voice said.

Yuji looked up and next to the seat he was about to sit at was a young man. He was at a similar height to Yuji, had long dark brown hair with a spiky fringe and sharp brown eyes. He had an average but muscular build and was wearing a red sleeveless t-shirt, black jeans and black trainers.

"What's up Kai?" Yuji responded as he took his seat.

"You took your time! I thought you were gonna miss it!"

"Nah man; just had a few things to take care of first."

"Fair enough, anyway, how much this time?"

"Well it's your turn so you have to decide."

"Okay then. 5,000 on Hayate to win."

"5,000 huh? You're that confident he'll win?"

"Damn right! I can't see Ryusei winning this match; he fluked his way through this tournament and I personally think he shouldn't be here. So Hayate is gonna teach him a lesson he wont forget."

"I think you're wrong, Ryusei can get a win here."

"What?"

"I can safely say he is that good, the wins he pulled here were not flukes so I believe he has a real chance of becoming University Champion. Take it from someone who has faced him, so I'll see your 5,000 and I expect payment as soon as Ryusei wins."

"Heh, we shall see man, we shall see." Kai answered with a smile as the two shook hands in agreement of the terms.

At the back of the Kaiba Dome, both Ryusei and Hayate were in separate rooms doing their final preparations for the duel. Both of them were deep in thought about different issues as they were taking their final look at their Decks. Ryusei put his Deck down and rolled up the sleeve of his jacket to look at his tattoo.

Ryusei: ("I can't take this dream off my mind; and this 'thing' as well. Why do I have it on me? What does it mean? And how come Hiro couldn't see something as clear as this? I'm not even in the right frame of mind for this match but I have to go through with it.")

Hayate: ("Ever since that day I lost, things haven't been the same. I lost my circle, my status, my pride, I almost even lost myself. I don't know why but that duel meant a lot more than it should have done. But this time I have the chance to make things right.")

Ryusei: ("Last time I faced Hayate I almost let my emotions take over. I was so desperate for victory that I was making decisions that I normally wouldn't make. That time it nearly cost me the duel.")

Hayate: ("When I faced Ryusei, I got so angry at him. I still don't know why this was the case. Even though I managed to keep my cool, any intense emotions like that could affect my judgment and cost me the duel today.")

Ryusei: ("So all I really have to do…")

Hayate: ("Is keep my cool and play my normal game.")

Ryusei: ("If I can do that…")

Ryusei and Hayate: ("Then I will win!")

Back at the stadium the clock had just turned 5:00pm. The announcer ascended through the middle of the duel field on an elevated platform. The crowd then loudly cheered as that was the sign that the duel was about to start shortly.

"All righty then! Are you guys ready for the FINAL?!!"

The crowd loudly cheered to answer the question. At this point, two men just entered the stadium. They both wearing black suits and sunglasses and took seats at the back terrace of the stadium. One of them discreetly set up a micro-camera, pointing towards the duel field. The girl who was watching from the upper terrace noticed the two men. She wondered to herself who they were but then ignored them and focused on the duel field.

"All righty! It's the moment you guys have been waiting for!! It's time to meet the finalists for the championship!! Firstly, the challenger, representing Domino East, RYUSEI FUJIWARA!!"

A small explosion appeared on the right side of the duel field. Within the smoke, a person ascended onto the duel field. After the smoke cleared, the person revealed was Ryusei, with a serious look on his face. Half of the fans cheered for Ryusei as he appeared.

"He looks so serious." Vanessa said quietly.

"I know, maybe you were right about him being nervous."

"And the opponent, representing Domino South! He is the current University Champion!! HAYATE NAKAMURA!!"

Hayate had the exact same entrance to Ryusei; he too had a very serious face. As the other half of the crowd cheered, Tasuku and Yuri looked on, both of them wondering how Hayate will play out this duel.

Both players walked up to each other and swapped Decks. As they took each other's Deck and shuffled, no words were exchanged. Just stares at each other, with eyes that were filled with a true desire for victory. They handed the Decks to each other and walked to their respective side of the field and activated their Duel Disks.

"ALL RIGHTY THEN! ARE YOU READY?!!" the announcer shouted.

The crowd gave their loudest cheer yet as Hayate and Ryusei drew their 5 cards.

"THEN LET THE DUEL COMMENCE!!"

"DUEL!" Both Hayate and Ryusei both shouted to confirm the final has now officially started.

(Hayate-4000/Ryusei-4000)

Afterwards there was a short pause. Hayate then broke the silence by saying.

"So…who goes first?"

"Since you're the champion. I should show some respect and let you go first." Ryusei answered back.

Hayate: ("He obviously remembered that Horus' levelling up requires me to destroy a monster by battle. Hence, why he's letting me go first.")

Hayate then gave a little smile,

"Fair enough, my turn, draw!" Hayate drew his card and examined his hand.

"I set a monster face-down and a card face down. I end my turn."

Even though this was a minor move, it created cheers for the fans that were supporting Hayate.

"My turn!" Ryusei declared as he drew his card. "I summon Breaker The Magical Warrior (1600/1000) in attack mode! When he's summoned he gets a Spell Counter, increasing his attack by 300 (Breaker-1900/1000)! However, I remove the Counter to use its effect and destroy a facedown card you control!"

Breaker jumped in the air and slashed Hayate's card in half, which turned out to be Shrink.

"Breaker (1600/1000), attack Hayate's monster now!"

Breaker charged forward and slashed the monster. What was revealed was a demonic, skeleton looking monster wearing a purple hooded cloak and wielding a short handled axe with a large blade.

"Great, Spirit Reaper." He said sarcastically.

"Indeed Ryusei, so you know that my Reaper cannot be destroyed by battle."

"I end my turn with a face down, your move."

"My turn and I release my Spirit Reaper."

Ryusei: ("Is Horus coming?")

Everyone looked on expecting to see Horus LV6 to be summoned to the field.

"Now I can summon Spell Canceller (1800/1600) in attack mode!" Hayate smirked.

"Spell Canceller?" Ryusei said in surprised as he looked at the monster.

It was a robotic insect-like machine with an enclosed laser cannon attached to the top of its body.

"Yes, Spell Canceller. This monster has the ability to negate all Spells on the field, and you cannot activate any Spells as long as it's in play."

"So it's basically a version of Jinzo, but for Spells!" Shinji exclaimed.

Ryusei looked at him with discontent, realising that he was already on the back foot.

"Spell Canceller attacks Breaker!"

The laser cannon opened its protectors and charged up a green energy ray. It then fired its ray, instantly shattering Breaker.

LP (4000/3800)

"I end my turn."

This move caused more cheers on Hayate's side, while the fans supporting Ryusei quietened down.

"Looks like the advantage is with Hayate." Kai smirked.

"It's too early to tell, plus the advantage is with Ryusei as Spell Canceller is weak, and Hayate hasn't got a face down to protect it."

"My turn!" Ryusei drew his card and got Frequency Magician; he acknowledged the card and started his counter attack.

"I discard Spellcaster's Aid to Special Summon the Tricky (2000/500) in attack mode! I next summon Tuner monster, Frequency Magician (800/400)!"

Hayate growled when he saw the Tuner monster while the fans of Ryusei celebrated the summoning.

"I tune my level 2 Frequency Magician with my level 5 Tricky!"

Frequency Magician exploded into two rings and descended onto the Tricky which created a pillar of light.

"Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Arcanite Magician (400/1800)! When Arcanite Magician is summoned, it receives two Spell Counters and gains 1000ATK for each Spell Counter on it (Arcanite-2400/1800)!"

"Crap!" Hayate muttered.

"Arcanite Magician attacks Spell Canceller, but then I activate my face down Magician's Circle, so both players must summon a Spellcaster with 2000ATK or less from their Deck! I summon Magical Marionette (2000/1000)! Choose your monster Hayate if you have one!"

"I summon Gravekeeper's Spy (1200/2000)!" A woman appeared with wearing a long black cloak over her clothes.

"Arcanite Magician continues his attack!" The monster twirled his staff and fired a blue ray of magic at Spell Canceller, instantly destroying it.

LP (3400/3800)

"Magical Marionette attacks your Spy!" Marionette sent her puppet forward. The puppet brandished its knives and slashed Hayate's monster, shattering it.

LP (2600/3800)

"All right, Ryusei!" Vanessa cheered, as the other fans also celebrated. Tasuku was looking a bit concerned, while the girl on the terrace smiled at Ryusei's move.

"I end my turn."

"My turn then!" Hayate drew a Spell Card and started deliberating with himself.

Hayate: ("This is not good. How the hell did I get myself in this position? There's no point dwelling on it now. I just need to calm down and evaluate the situation. He has two cards in his hand, the likelihood he has a monster in his hand is slim, but his next draw could get him one. So if I set a monster, he could play another monster and therefore I would lose, especially with Arcanite's effect. I guess I've got no choice but to use this.")

"I activate this Spell Card, Armageddon Tornado!"

As he played this card a huge black wind tornado appeared on the field. Ryusei put his hands up to protect himself from the wind. He then noticed that every card on the field was being destroyed one after the other. The tornado died down and the field was empty.

"What the hell was that?!" Ryusei demanded to know.

"That was my Spell, Armageddon Tornado. By activating it I can destroy all cards on the field and you take 500 points of damage for every monster that was destroyed."

LP (2600/2800)

"No way! That card is too powerful!" Vanessa exclaimed.

Tasuku: ("That card is always a card Hai plays to finish off his opponent. For Hai to play it now must mean that he had no other option if he wanted to survive in this duel.")

"The downside is I cannot summon or set for a number of turns equal to the number of monsters that was destroyed on your side of the field. So since I destroyed two, I can't play a monster for two turns."

Ryusei: ("That's a very risky Spell to play. I'm guessing my previous turn backed him into a corner so he had no choice but to play it.")

"I end my turn with a face-down."

"My turn!" Ryusei was slightly disappointed with his draw as he didn't get a monster. "I play a card face down and end my turn."

"No monster Ryusei, especially since I'm wide open. Shame, but I draw and end my turn."

"My turn and I summon Magical Exemplar (1700/1400) in attack mode! Exemplar will attack directly!"

"I activate my face down, Enemy Controller! So I shift Exemplar to defense mode!"

"Because of that my Exemplar gets two Spell Counters. I will then activate its effect by removing those Counters to summon Frequency Magician (800/400) from my Graveyard in defense mode! Turn end."

"Draw!"

Ryusei: ("He can now summon monsters, so what is he going to play?")

"I summon Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV4 (1600/1000) to the field! I then play the Spell, Level Up!"

While the Hayate fans cheered, Ryusei was unmoved by the play, in comparison to last time.

"I send Horus LV4 to the Graveyard to Special Summon Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV6 (2300/1600) from my Deck!"

Horus LV4 glowed and then evolved into a larger version of itself and let out a powerful roar.

"Horus, attack Magical Exemplar with Black Flame!" Horus breathed out a black fireball which engulfed and destroyed Exemplar.

"I end my turn and due to my LV6 destroying a monster this turn, I can send it to the Graveyard and now summon Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV8 (3000/1800)!"

The monster was engulfed in a black fire and started growing inside. As the fire subsided, it revealed an even larger black dragon, with widespread wings and stern eyes.

The Hayate fans celebrated greatly at the summoning of Hayate's ace monster, while the Ryusei fans were silent.

"Ryusei," Vanessa said with worry.

"You still believe that Ryusei will win?" Kai asked Yuji with a smile on his face.

Yuji just looked on, without saying a word. The same reaction as Kasumi, the girl on the upper terrace and the two men in the suits.

Ryusei looked up at the dragon as it bellowed another powerful roar.

"Are you afraid, Ryusei?" Hayate asked. "Well you should be, as this monster is going to tear you to shreds! So you might as well give up now!"

"If you think I'm afraid then you're mistaken! I'm nowhere near done in this duel so don't talk like you've won this match already!" Ryusei replied with real determination, which surprised Hayate.

"The real duel starts here Hayate!! So get ready, as I'm gonna take that dragon down and bring myself closer to victory!"

"Just try it!"

The two duellists glare at each other with hatred as Horus produced another loud roar.

End of Chapter

Preview: The duel rages on between Hayate and Ryusei with neither side backing down. Hayate has control over the Duel with Horus until Ryusei manages to turn the tables thanks to a card that played a key role last time they met. As the crowd watches on, the duel turns into a real battle as both duellists try to assure themselves victory in this hard fought contest.

Chapter 15-Inter-Dorm Final, Desire For Victory! (title tbc)

ORIGINAL CARDS

Armageddon Tornado  
Normal Spell

This card can only be activated whilst your opponent controls a face-up monster. Destroy all cards on the field and inflict 500 damage to you're opponent for every monster that was destroyed by this effect. You cannot Summon or Set a monster for a number of turns equal to the number of monsters destroyed on your opponent's side of the field.


	15. Chapter 15 Desire For Victory!

Location Kaiba Dome

Inside the stadium the majority of the crowd were cheering due to what has been an exciting duel so far. Vanessa and Shinji were watching with worried looks on their faces due to Ryusei's current position.

"Ryusei," Vanessa said with heavy concern in her voice.

"He's in major trouble." Shinji replied in a similar tone.

Ryusei looked square into the eyes of Horus LV8 as the dragon stared intensely back at him with a sense of destruction in its eyes.

"Why are you hesitating?" Hayate asked.

Ryusei then turned his attention to Hayate.

"Don't tell me you're resounding speech earlier was just a play for the fans?!"

Ryusei didn't say a single word in response.

"That's just what I thought, Ryusei. You're nothing more than a fake! Just because you won a few matches here and there you think you can roll with the big leagues?! All you are is a mediocre duellist who had a lucky few games and I will prove it when I win this match!"

"I never wanted to 'roll with the big leagues' as you say it. In fact, you're the one who blew this all out of proportion! I only had a few duels and then I got thrown into this tournament that I never wanted to take part in!"

This statement surprised Hayate a little, now thinking he could have got rid of him at the start if he knew.

"But, I was asked anyway by a friend and I don't let my friends down! So here I am today Hayate, in this match, going all out to win!"

Hayate growled a little after hearing this.

"As I said before, the real duel starts here!"

Ryusei then put his fingers on his Deck in preparation of his turn.

"I draw!"

**Chapter 15-Inter-Dorm Final, Desire For Victory!**

"I summon Defense Wizard (400/1700) in defense mode! Turn end!"

"Is that it?! That's what you're speech has brought up, a weak useless monster?! If that's the way you want to play it, fine!"

Hayate drew his card and moved straight into the Battle Phase.

"Horus LV8 attacks Frequency Magician, with Black Mega Flame!"

Horus took a deep breath and roared out an enormous black fireball which instantly destroyed Ryusei's monster. Ryusei put his hands up to protect himself from the blast. Hayate then gave a little smile after the attack concluded.

"I end my turn with a face down, your move!"

Ryusei knew he was in a tight spot and he had to find a way to fight back. He drew his card and hoped for the best. Unfortunately for him it was Double Spell, which he couldn't use due to Horus' effect of negating Spells.

"I end my turn." He said reluctantly.

This caused a few groans from the Ryusei fans as he didn't do anything on quite an important turn. Vanessa was looking on, feeling nervous at the situation and Shinji was the same. Despite this was the final, they couldn't enjoy the occasion as they were too anxious for Ryusei.

"Not exactly the smartest thing to do is it?" Kai said out loud generally, but was expecting a reply from Yuji.

Yuji just watched on silently, with his arms folded.

"Why are you so serious man?"

"I'm always serious when it comes to bets."

"Fair enough."

Hayate gave a wry smile at Ryusei's move.

"With moves like that this duel will be over soon, I draw! I have Horus attack Defense Wizard!"

Horus again breathed out a large black fireball which engulfed and caused the wizard to explode.

"I set a monster on the field and end my turn."

The crowd supporting Hayate began rapturous cheering, thinking that the duel is close to being over. The Ryusei fans were almost silenced by the noise but as the cheers quietened down, Ryusei took a deep breath and prepared himself.

He looked down at his Deck as he was about to draw his card, hoping to get something to buy him some time. He placed his fingers on his Deck and drew his card sharply. He quickly flipped it and breathed a small sigh of relief when he saw what it was.

Ryusei: ("Thank you.")

"I summon Apprentice Magician in defense mode (400/800)!"

Hayate growled in annoyance after seeing the monster.

"Stalling for time is not going to help you here, Ryusei. If anything, it's a sign of desperation!"

"You believe whatever you want to believe, I end my turn."

Hayate drew his card silently.

"I release my face down monster (Krebons) to summon Tiger Dragon (2400/1800)!"

A large dragon appeared with green wings and the skin resembling a tiger (orange with black stripes).

"Horus attacks Apprentice Magician now!"

Apprentice Magician was instantly destroyed by the overwhelming power of Horus.

"When Apprentice Magician is destroyed she allows me to summon a Level 2 Spellcaster from my Deck, face down onto the field so I summon another Apprentice Magician (400/800)!"

"Tiger Dragon, destroy his monster!"

Tiger Dragon blasted out from its mouth a ray of fire with black stripes circled around the blaze. The ray instantly shattered Ryusei's face down monster.

"Apprentice Magician's effect activates again, this time I choose The Unhappy Maiden (0/100)!"

Hayate scowled at Ryusei as he was beginning to feel frustrated by Ryusei's stalling tactics.

"I end my turn!"

"My turn!" Ryusei declared.

"I set a card face down and end my turn!"

"My turn then Ryusei, Horus attacks your facedown Unhappy Maiden!"

Horus blasted another ball of black fire on Ryusei's monster. The Maiden screamed after being hit by the blast and then shattered.

"Because…"

"I know what your Maiden does!" Hayate interrupted, "It ends the Battle Phase after being destroyed so I will end my turn after that. But to be honest, it doesn't make a difference. Your magicians are now gone and you still can't use Spells due to my Horus. You've stalled for long enough so no more hiding Ryusei! Make your move so I can end this duel!"

Ryusei: ("Hayate is right, if I don't draw something now this will be the end of the duel. But I have faith in my Deck. I know I can do this.")

Ryusei looked at his Deck, hoping for a card to help him out of this situation. He put his fingers on his Deck and closed his eyes slowly.

Vanessa: ("Please let him draw something that will help him.")

He then drew his card sharply. The entire stadium was silent and looked intensely to see what Ryusei drew. He opened his eyes and flipped the card over slowly. As soon as he saw it he smiled, which made Hayate wonder what he got.

"I set a card face down on the field and summon Jowgen The Spiritualist (200/1300)!"

"No!"

"Jowgen's effect activates, allowing me to discard a random card from my hand (Double Spell) and destroy all Special Summoned monsters on the field!"

"You son of a bitch!"

The Ryusei fans celebrated as Jowgen held out his staff with both his hands and shot out a purple ray at Horus, causing it to explode.

"Damn!" Hayate said as he put his arms out to cover himself from the blast.

"Next I reveal the card I just set, Pot of Avarice! I return Magical Exemplar, Arcanite Magician, Frequency Magician, Apprentice Magician and The Unhappy Maiden to the Deck, shuffle and draw two cards."

Ryusei did this as Hayate looked at him with contempt for destroying his Horus. He drew his two cards and smiled.

"I activate my other facedown, Magical Dimension! I release my Jowgen so I can Special Summon Magician's Valkyria (1600/1800)! I then can then destroy a monster on the field thanks to this Spell, so Tiger Dragon is history!"

The dragon shattered into many pieces leaving Hayate wide open now.

"Magician's Valkyria attacks you directly!" Ryusei declared. Valkyria jumped in the air and fired a ray of pink light from her staff, engulfing Hayate.

LP (1000/2800)

"All right, Ryusei!" Vanessa celebrated.

"That was awesome!" Shinji followed.

The rest of the fans cheered for Ryusei and started chanting his name. Yuji gave a little smile and said to Kai in a overconfident manner,

"I'll be expecting my payment soon."

"There's still a way to go in this duel so don't you be getting cocky yet."

Tasuku and Yuri looked on; a little worried by what ha just happened.

"It's not looking good is it?" Yuri questioned, expecting Tasuku to answer.

However Tasuku kept silent, with his hands clasped together, thinking about something.

"Doesn't matter, he'll beat this amateur scumbag!"

"He's not an amateur." Tasuku stepped in. Yuri was shocked to see him defending Ryusei.

"How can you be taking his side?!"

"I'm not taking his side. But after seeing him duel a couple of times now, I have to admit that this guy……is no amateur."

"But…"

"But nothing Yuri, to prove my point let me ask you this. Out of all the times you've seen Hayate duel how many people have you seen take down Horus so easily?"

Yuri then realised that only a few people has managed to achieve this feat and backed off a little.

"That's my point, He has done it and he's done it on more than one occasion. Hayate must be careful now, because if he hasn't realised it, he is dealing with the skill of a Duel Leader here."

On the upper terrace the girl standing there was watching the duel with full concentration. She then got distracted as she felt something vibrate in her pocket. She took out her cell phone and saw she had a text message. She opened it and it read.

"_Anything so far?"_

She then started typing a reply. When she finished, the reply read,

"_Nothing so far and it doesn't look like anything will happen either. Are you sure you're right about this?"_

She sent the message and was about to put her phone in her pocket, but then she felt her phone vibrate again in her hand. She looked at it and saw that she has received another text. She read the text and it said,

"_Keep watching."_

Hayate looked at Ryusei with an angry face at first but then softened his stance, surprising Ryusei.

"Is that all Ryusei?" Hayate asked in a very calm way, considering what had just happened.

"I end my turn."

Hayate: ("Ryusei, even though it annoys me to admit it, you are a very good duellist. It's been a while since I've been challenged in every possible way. So I suppose it's refreshing that I've come across someone as good as you. It will make it all the rewarding when I defeat you and prove that I am the best duellist!")

Location: Domino Suburbs

On the outskirts of Domino was a quiet peaceful suburbia. There were not many houses compared to other suburbs, hence retaining some form of beauty and calm. Along the main road were nine houses on either side of the road, all detached, and having a similar design to each other with only small differences (doors, windows, some had porches and some without).

At the back of the fourth house on the right of the road was Ayaka, sitting on a white patio chair on the porch at her back garden. Despite the sky being grey, she was sitting down reading a novel, while it was still bright enough to read. She paused for a moment and then lifted her head to look at the view of the garden. The garden was medium sized, neat and well organised, with a pathway down the middle to walk on. Four different batches of flowers covered the garden with roses at the top right, orchids at the top left; lilies were at the bottom right and lavender at the bottom left. At the back and side borders of the garden was a group of hedges, which presented itself as a natural fence for the back garden.

As she was about to get back to her book she heard a beep which came from her phone. She went to her red handbag which was hanging off the arm rest of the chair and pulled out her phone. She flipped the top open and saw she got a text message from Mina, it read.

"_Ryusei just took down Horus and now has a big lead! Been an amazing duel so far! Wish you were here!"_

Ayaka smiled after reading the text message. She then looked at the sky and decided now was the time to go inside the house. As she put her phone in her bag something caught her eye. She saw a very small dark patch right at the front of the lilies. She walked onto the pathway and bent down for a closer look. She was very surprised to see that the small dark patch was caused by a small number of little black roses grouped together.

Ayaka: ("More black roses?")

She stretched her hand and pulled one out just to make sure. After observing it was clear that it was indeed a black rose.

Ayaka: ("Black roses again, I've been seeing these more and more frequently for the last few months. I'm not a real believer in legends and myths but the way they are appearing around Domino and now in my Mum's garden? This is something I can't really ignore, but I don't know for sure. Am I just over thinking this, or is something really going to happen?")

Location: Kaiba Dome

Back at the stadium, Hayate was just preparing to draw and start his next turn.

"My turn, draw! I play The Graveyard Of The Fourth Dimension! Now I can take two 'LV' monsters such as Horus LV8 and Horus LV6 from my Graveyard and add them to my Deck."

Ryusei: ("Great, just when I thought I got rid of them.")

I next play Graceful Charity so I draw three cards and discard two (Brain Control and Horus' Servant) and then summon Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV4 (1600/1000) to the field!"

As the dragon appeared on the field, Ryusei was very tentative to what will happen next as both monsters have the same attack points.

"Horus attacks Magician Valkyria now!"

"What?"

The crowd were also shocked to see Hayate's decision to destroy both monsters.

"They will just destroy each other!" Ryusei exclaimed.

"That's what you think!"

"What?!"

"I activate my face down card, Shrink!"

"Shit!"

"This card cuts your Valkyria's attack in half! So say bye to your Magician!"

Horus fired out a ray of miniature black flames which destroyed Valkyria (800/1800).

LP (1000/2000)

"I set a card face down and end my turn, and because Horus destroyed a monster this turn, I can send it to the Graveyard and summon Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV6 (2300/1600)!"

Horus LV4 grew into a much larger dragon, with widespread wings.

"Your turn Ryusei."

Ryusei: ("It won't be long before Horus LV8 comes out again, I have to do something to prevent this. Hayate has more or less controlled the duel from the start. If I want to win I have to start taking control!")

"My turn, draw!"

Ryusei flipped his card and got Apprentice Magician.

Ryusei: ("This move will work depending on how Hayate will play his next turn. It could give me a chance to get back into this or put me in a disadvantage.")

"I summon Apprentice Magician (400/800) in defense mode! I set a card face down after that and end my turn."

"Apprentice Magician again? You have to do much better than that if you want to win this match Ryusei, my turn!"

Hayate drew his card and gave a little smile.

"I summon Gravekeeper's Spy (1200/2000) in attack mode!"

Hayate: ("Now, he figures that I will attack with Gravekeeper's Spy first because if Horus attacks, Defense Wizard will protect Apprentice from being destroyed. Therefore, Horus won't be able to evolve. Then again he can destroy my Horus with his facedown or by the monster he gets from Apprentice after the next attack. It's a nice plan Ryusei, but not good enough.")

"Horus LV6 attacks Apprentice Magician now!"

Ryusei was taken aback slightly from the play and was slightly annoyed by the fact as he wouldn't be able to take down Horus this turn.

"I activate Defense Wizard's effect. I remove it from play to prevent a Spellcaster being destroyed by battle!"

The spirit of Defense Wizard appeared on the field and merged itself with Apprentice Magician just before the black fireball hit Apprentice Magician.

"Gravekeeper's Spy attacks Apprentice Magician now!"

"When Apprentice Magician is destroyed by battle I use its effect to set Old Vindictive Magician (450/600) to the field!"

Hayate: ("Clever Ryusei, but I'm afraid that won't work.")

"I end my turn."

"My turn! I flip my Old Vindictive Magician which triggers its effect. It allows me to destroy a monster on your side of the field, so take out his Horus!"

"Like I will give you the chance to do that!"

"What?!"

"I activate Black Flame Counter! When I have a Horus monster on the field I can discard a card (Level Modulation) to negate your monster's effect and destroy it!"

Black flames appeared from the Trap and instantly destroyed Ryusei's monster.

"Damn!" Ryusei muttered. "I set a monster facedown and end my turn!"

"My turn, Horus attacks your facedown with Black Flame!"

"Go Trap Card, Negate Attack! This stops your attack and ends the Battle Phase!"

"I end my turn with a face down card."

"My turn!" Ryusei declared as he drew his card and he saw he got Enemy Controller.

Ryusei: ("Perfect.")

"I Flip Summon my Crystal Seer (100/100)! When she's flipped I pick up the top two cards from my Deck and add one to my hand. The other goes to the bottom of the Deck."

He picked up the two and saw Pot Of Greed and Brain Control. He chose one and returned the other to the Deck.

"I play Pot of Greed so I draw two cards from my Deck."

As he drew his cards he liked one of the cards he saw, and figured out a way to get himself back into this duel.

"I set two cards facedown on the field and end my turn!"

The crowd were both nervous and excited as they felt the duel may be heading towards the finish soon. Vanessa and Shinji were both watching but were unsure on the outcome.

"What do you think?" Vanessa asked.

"Ryusei has managed to hang on for quite a while now, but he can't keep this up. If he doesn't go on the offensive soon then Hayate will just destroy him with his Horus."

"I know what you mean; he needs to do something to turn the duel around to his favour. But it has to be very soon."

At the Domino Central section, Kai had a smile on his face thinking that Hayate's victory is assured.

"I don't know what you're smiling at, there's still a little way to go in this duel." Yuji said to him.

"Not that long, and the way it's gone so far, I don't see a way back for Ryusei." Kai responded, "All he's been doing is playing defense the entire time, you don't win duels by playing that way."

Yuji had to agree with Kai in that matter. He did notice from early on that Ryusei was not duelling the same aggressive way he did against Kasumi and himself.

At the Domino West section Kasumi was watching the duel but her mind was not fully focused on the match. She had been silent for the entire match so far so Mitsuko decided to try and make conversation.

"So who do you think will win?"

"Hayate," Kasumi answered without hesitating or looking at Mitsuko.

"How do you know for sure?" she asked in a surprised manner.

"Because he wants it more."

At the back of the north terrace the two guys in the suits and shades were watching closely as well. One of them though heard his phone ring. He answered the call.

"Yes…………………………Yes………………………………..All right."

As soon as he hanged up he turned to his partner and said.

"He's there now."

"So are we going?" his partner asked.

"No, he wants us to finish just for reference."

"Are you sure? It seems pretty pointless now."

"One thing you should always remember when you work for this guy."

"What's that?"

"Always follow his orders."

On the duel field, Ryusei and Hayate both were looking at each other, thinking how the other person is going to play this turn.

"You can feel it, can't you?" Hayate asked.

"Yeah, this duel is coming to an end, and quite soon I think." Ryusei answered.

"Indeed it is Ryusei, therefore you should prepare yourself for defeat as this duel will be mine."

"It never pays to be cocky Hayate."

"It does when you're sure of victory like me! I know I will win this duel and there is nothing you can do to stop it! The sooner you accept that the easier it will be to take when you lose."

"Fine! If you believe that so much then prove it Hayate! Make your move!"

"I will, my turn! Since your Crystal Seer is in attack mode, one blast from Horus will wipe you out! Go Horus LV6, attack with Black Flame!"

Horus shot out a black fireball heading straight for Crystal Seer.

"Ryusei!" Vanessa and Shinji shouted in worry.

Ryusei: ("Time for my counter attack!")

"I activate my facedown, Enemy Controller! So I release a monster to take control of a monster on your side!" Ryusei announced just as a giant joypad appeared on the field.

"What in the hell are you thinking?! Horus is unaffected by all Spells!" Hayate demanded to know.

"I'm not taking your Horus; I'm after your Spy!"

The joypad entered a combination which sacrificed Seer and sent Spy to Ryusei's side of the field.

"That was pointless as Horus can still attack, Horus attacks Gravekeeper's Spy now!"

This time the attack went through, instantly destroying the monster.

LP (1000/900)

"I set a card face down and end my turn and in my End Phase, Horus LV6 will level up to LV8!"

"Go Trap Card, Divine Wrath!"

"What?!"

"I discard a card (Cybernetic Magician) to negate the effect of Horus and destroy it!"

"So that's why he took his Spy! He basically wanted to wipe out Hayate's field!" Vanessa said happily.

"Yeah, so by taking Spy he prevented himself from losing and used Horus' effect against Hayate!" Shinji followed on.

"You're turn!" Hayate reluctantly said.

"My turn! I summon Kycoo The Ghost Destroyer (1800/700) in attack mode! When Kycoo inflicts Battle Damage I can remove from play two monsters from your Graveyard so your Horus' are going for good! Kycoo, attack him directly!"

"I activate my facedown, Graceful Revival!"

"What's that?"

"This Trap lets me summon a Level 2 monster from my Graveyard in attack mode!"

"You don't have any Level 2 monsters in your Graveyard!"

"How naïve you are Ryusei!"

Ryusei then remembered when he summoned Tiger Dragon that he never saw what monster was released for it.

"Damn it!" he said to himself.

"I summon Krebons (1200/400) in attack mode!"

A jester looking monster appeared wearing a yellow and blue costume and hat. It was seemingly using its mind to float some blocks around in front of him.

"Kycoo attacks your monster!"

"Krebons effect activates, by paying 800 Life Points I can negate your attack!"

LP (200/1000)

Krebons used his mind to form the blocks together into a shield, blocking Kycoo's attack. Ryusei gritted his teeth in annoyance and took a card from his hand.

"I set a card facedown and end my turn!"

"My turn, I release Krebons to summon Prime Material Dragon (2400/2000)!"

A sleek orange dragon appeared with long, numerous tails waving behind it.

"Prime Material attacks Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer!"

Prime Material breathed out a dark orange fireball which engulfed and then shattered Kycoo.

LP (200/400)

"You triggered my facedown, Sage Soul Summoning! When a Spellcaster is destroyed by battle I can Special Summon a Spellcaster from my Graveyard, so come forth Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000)!"

This play angered Hayate a little but he moved on and finished his move.

"I set a card face down and end my turn!"

"My turn!" Ryusei looked and saw he got Monster Reborn. He was thinking of victory but due to his Trap he couldn't use his magician's effect. Therefore he decided to take a risk.

"Cybernetic Magician attack Prime Material Dragon with Light Cyber Blast!"

Hayate wasn't bothered by Ryusei's decision as the two monsters destroyed each other in battle.

"Next I activate Monster Reborn to resurrect Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000)! I end my turn!"

"Draw! I activate my Call Of The Haunted to revive Horus LV6 (2300/1600)! I next play the Spell, Levolution! I can remove from play Horus LV6 to summon a monster from my hand, Deck or Graveyard, ignoring summoning requirements, so come forth, Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV8 (3000/1800)!"

Horus LV8 appeared on the field in his typical grand entrance and let out a powerful roar to fit the occasion of the summoning.

Even though he wouldn't admit it, Ryusei did recognise the move Hayate made as a very good move and that Hayate now has the advantage. As the two monsters stared at each other with almost as much hatred as Hayate and Ryusei, Hayate finished his move.

"Unfortunately I can't attack this turn so I set a card face down and end my turn."

The crowd were generally stunned by the recent flurry of moves made by both duellists. A tense atmosphere started to develop in anticipation for the next and possibly final turn.

"Ryusei." Vanessa whispered with concern in her voice.

"This is it." Yuji said.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

"I can feel it, this is the last turn."

Ryusei put his fingers on his Deck and drew his card.

"My turn!"

He flipped the card over and saw he drew Mystical Space Typhoon.

Ryusei: ("Mystical Space Typhoon, this lets me destroy a Spell or Trap on the field. Looking at the field now I've got two options. I can either use my Magician's effect to lower Horus to 2000, that way I can attack and win the duel. But at the same time Hayate is quite cunning. His facedown must be a way of protecting his Horus or even destroying my monster. I really do want to attack and win this but it's too risky. The safest way to do is to pass on this chance and play it safe. I'll put my magician in defense and take out his face down.")

Ryusei gently closed his eyes and moved his hand slowly towards his card to shift it to defense mode. As soon as he touched the card he heard a loud screech similar to the creature's screech, within himself. After hearing this he opened his eyes sharply.

Ryusei: ("No! I can't back down!")

"I discard a card from my hand to use Cybernetic Magician's effect, Limited Strength!"

Cybernetic Magician shot out a ray of white magic from his palm hitting Horus and forced its ATK to go down (Horus-2000/1800).

This caused a little commotion in the crowd, with some people getting out of their seats to look closely.

"Ryusei is going to do it!" Shinji said, really excited at a possible victory.

"Cybernetic Magician, attack Horus with Light Cyber Blast!"

As soon as Cybernetic Magician fired his ray of white magic at Horus, both Ryusei and Hayate felt their hearts beating very strongly for a second causing a sharp pain in their chests. They both grimaced at the pain which only the girl on the terrace noticed. Hayate managed to quickly recover and noticed he is really close to defeat.

"Activate Trap Card, Engulfing Black Flames! When I have a Horus monster out I can remove the Horus LV4 in my Graveyard from play to increase the attack of a monster on the field by the same amount as the removed monster!"

Horus LV4 morphed into black flames and covered Horus LV8's body as its attack increased. (Horus LV8-3600/1800)

"What?!"

"Horus, strike back with Black Mega Flame!"

Horus fired out a huge ray of black fire which dissipated Cybernetic Magician's attack and instantly destroyed it.

In the aftermath of the attack Ryusei fell to his knees in disbelief.

LP (200/0)

There was a stunned silence in the crowd for a short while as everyone was coming to terms to what just happened.

"Ryusei……..lost?" Vanessa told her in disbelief of what just happened.

At that point the fans supporting Hayate started celebrating his victory and chanting his name.

"Just as I said." Kasumi said to Mitsuko as she got up from her seat and decided to leave the stadium.

"Heh, looks like you owe me!" Kai said to Yuji with a really smug face.

Yuji silently went into his wallet and pulled out the money and gave it to Kai.

"There you go, you got seriously lucky though."

"It wasn't luck; it was just about being smart."

As Ryusei was still down he went on one knee, about to get up when Hayate walked over to him.

"Ryusei, I would never admit this publicly but you are a very good duellist. You are highly skilled and you duel with pride and honour. However, your selflessness holds you back."

Ryusei then looked up to Hayate with a perplexed look on his face.

"I've seen how you are generally, as well as watched you duel so I know what I'm talking about. Until you start focusing on yourself you will never be as great as you want to be. So forget about self sacrificing for others and focus on number 1 as that is what makes you truly strong. Then maybe, just maybe, you will be able to beat me again."

Hayate turned as Ryusei watched him walk away. At this point the announcer came on to the field.

"That concludes the Inter-Dorm Tournament!! The winner is HAYATE NAKAMURA!!"

To match the moment, different coloured lights moved around the stadium as well as hundreds of thousands of ticker tape dropped down from the ceiling.

At this time the two men in suits shut down their micro camera and walked out of the stadium.

The girl on the terrace was watching the celebrations but her eyes then were fixed on Ryusei.

GIRL: ("A shame Ryusei. Seems Hayate was a challenge that you couldn't overcome. However, you shouldn't dwell on this loss any longer than you should as bigger challenges will be heading your way soon enough.")

Location: Domino Town

Inside one of many buildings in the area was a man, sitting down in a very dark room. It was so dark that it was virtually impossible to make out his appearance. He was watching the duel between Hayate and Ryusei on a huge plasma screen. As he saw the last turn he noticed the grimaces on Ryusei and Hayate's faces at that moment. He stopped the video and rewound the video slowly and played it again. As he saw the event again he produced a little smile.

End of Chapter

Preview: A few weeks after the tournament Hayate is at home with his family. They are hosting a dinner for Valon Koestler, a hugely successful businessman who is currently in negotiations with Hayate's father over a possible business deal. Valon offers an opportunity to Hayate a chance to get into the Pro League duelling via his connections. Hayate jumps at the offer but is angry to learn that the offer is conditional in that he must face and beat Ryusei.

Chapter 16-Opportune Moments, Settling The Score! (Title tbc)

ORIGINAL CARDS

Defense Wizard  
DARK/Spellcaster/3/400/1700  
During damage calculation, you can remove from play this card from your Graveyard to prevent a Spellcaster-Type monster you control from being destroyed by this battle. Damage is still applied.

Horus Counter  
Counter Trap  
You can only activate this card while there is a face-up "Horus" Monster on your side of the field. Discard 1 card from your hand to negate the activation of a Spell, Trap or Monster effect which destroys a monster(s) on your side of the field and destroy that card.

Sage Soul Summoning  
Continuous Trap  
Activate only when a Spellcaster-Type Monster is destroyed by Battle. Special Summon a Spellcaster-Type monster from your Graveyard and equip it to this card. The monster that was Special Summoned by this effect cannot activate or apply its effect until the end of the next turn. When this card is removed from the field, destroy the monster. When the monster is destroyed, destroy this card.

Levolution  
Normal Spell  
Remove from play 1 face-up monster on your side of the field that has "LV" in its card name. Special Summon the monster that is written in the card text of that monster from your hand, Deck or Graveyard, ignoring the Summoning requirements. The Monster cannot declare an attack on the turn its Summoned.

Engulfing Black Flames  
Normal Trap  
You can only activate this card while there is a face-up "Horus" Monster on your side of the field. Remove from play a "Horus" Monster from your Graveyard and increase the ATK of one "Horus" Monster on your side of the field equal to the ATK of the Monster removed from play by this card's effect. In the End Phase of this turn you take damage equal to the total ATK of all "Horus" Monsters on your side of the field and your Graveyard.


	16. Chapter 16 Settling The Score!

Location: University Main Library

It was almost a month after the end of Hayate's tournament. It was now coming towards the end of the spring holidays in April before the final term of University, when the exams take place. Ryusei was inside the library, sitting on a table on the ground floor. He was writing up some notes from his text books that he could use later on as part of his revision. As soon as he finished writing the last sentence, he closed the text book he was using and placed it to his left hand side. He then picked up another book from a small stack of four books to his right and started to read it. After reading a paragraph he felt the presence of someone near him. He turned around and saw that it was Ayaka, holding a few books of her own.

"Hey." She said softly.

"Hey." He replied back in a similar tone.

"How have you been?" She asked as she went to sit down opposite to Ryusei.

"I'm okay, and you?"

"I'm all right I guess, just got a ton of revision to do."

"I know the feeling." Ayaka smiled at him and then remembered about what she heard from Mina regarding the final.

"I heard what happened in the tournament."

"Yeah" he answered with a strong sense of disappointment from his voice. "I know I didn't want to be a part of this tournament, but I was so close to winning and…"

"It kind of stings doesn't it?" Ayaka joked. Ryusei then remembered he said a similar thing to her a while back and smiled.

"Yeah, something like that, but there is more to it also."

"What do you mean?"

Ryusei was thinking back to the moment when he lost to Hayate. Every time he thinks about that moment he gets annoyed with himself, as he cannot figure out why he didn't go with his original plan. Ayaka noticed that his mind was wandering so tried to get his attention again.

"Is something wrong, Ryusei?"

Ryusei then paid attention, realising he was elsewhere for a moment.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay. Anyway, I should let you get back to your revision. I'll see you around Ryusei."

She got up from the table and went elsewhere in the library. Ryusei closed his eyes to focus himself on his revision but he saw that moment flash in his eyes again. What was more prominent this time was the screech of the creature he felt within himself. He then steadily opened his eyes and looked at the tattoo on his right arm, with a wonder as to whether the two are linked in some way.

**Chapter 16-****Opportune Moment, Settling The Score!**

Location: Tokyo City

It was early evening in the city, roughly around 6:20pm. The city was still bright with mild sunshine on a typical spring day. The city centre was generally busy as people were just leaving work and were out to get a few things before they went home. On one of the roads in the city centre, a set of traffic lights just turned red and people were crossing the road at the pedestrian crossing. Soon after, a vehicle pulled up and stopped in front of the traffic lights with the licence plate 'VK 1'. It was a white stretch limousine, with black tinted windows so you couldn't see who was inside. As the lights turned green the limousine smoothly drove off and cruised through the city. The person inside the limousine was looking outside the window, watching the people go by as he was heading towards his destination.

In a few minutes, the limousine reached an expensive residential area in the city. Most of the buildings in this area were either mansions, or large houses with gated entrances. After driving past a few of the properties the limousine turned right into a driveway and approached a large white mansion, with very tall and electronic black gates.

Inside the top right window of the mansion was a man looking outside. He was wearing an expensive black suit and shoes with a white shirt and a navy blue tie. He was above the average height, with a medium build and looked in his late 40's. He had light, straight brown hair to match his light brown eyes and a trimmed moustache. As the limo stopped in front of the gates, the man moved himself from the window and out of the room to head downstairs. As he headed down the curved staircase (which had white coloured carpeting laid on it to match the floor), a woman turned to look at him. The woman was quite attractive but slightly shorter than the man. She looked to be in her mid 40's and had long wavy blond hair, reaching her lower back. She had ocean blue eyes and was wearing a long, silk cream dress which reached just above her ankles and wore high heeled cream shoes. As she saw her husband coming down, she had just finished putting on a thin, silver necklace which had a small sapphire jewel as a pendant.

"He's here." The man said.

"I know, dear." She replied.

"Then where in the hell is Hayate?!"

"He'll be here, he said he would."

"Well he should be here by now!"

"Calm down," she said in a soothing voice as she went and fixed his tie slightly. "Hayate knows how important this is to you, so he'll be here, okay?"

The man sighed and calmed down.

"You're right, it's just that…"

"You're nervous and you want everything to go perfectly right?"

The man just smiled and replied,

"You know me too well."

The man gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then he went to push a button on the wall.

The entrance gates outside opened inward in a smooth, steady pace. The limousine then slowly drove inside and parked outside the front door. The man and the woman opened the front door of their house and walked down the small steps to meet their guest. The driver's door of the limousine opened and the chauffeur got out and walked towards the end of the car. After he opened the last door of the vehicle a young man stepped out. He stood quite tall with a slim build and was highly attractive. He had light blue eyes with straight white hair. The fringe of his hair just reached his eyelids and the back of the hair ended at the lower neck. He wore a dark red shirt with a black waistcoat on top, with smart black trousers, shoes and also wore a pair of black gloves.

"Mr. Koestler!" the man said as the couple walked up to him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir." He continued as he outstretched his hand expecting a handshake.

"Likewise Mr. Nakamura, but please, call me Valon."

Valon took his gloves off and shook the offered hand firmly.

"Well then you can call me Kenji and I would also like you to meet my lovely wife, Natsumi."

"Lovely to meet you, Mr. Koestler." She said as she outstretched her hand also.

"The pleasure's all mine," Valon smoothly replied as he took her hand and gently kissed it, "But as I said, call me Valon."

Natsumi smiled and at this moment, Valon's chauffeur went into the backseat and pulled out a wine bottle to hand to Valon.

"Ah yes, this is a gift to say thank you for your hospitality." He said as he gave the wine to them.

"You shouldn't have."

"It's only fair that I bring the wine. After all, you didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"Nonsense, it's our pleasure. Now let me show you inside."

The three of them went inside but as soon as the front door was closed, they heard the roar of a motorbike engine approaching the property.

Valon smiled as the couple laughed nervously, due to them being a bit embarrassed to what had happened.

"Who is that?" Valon asked.

"That is my son Hayate, who is unfortunately late." Kenji answered with a little irritation in his voice as he opened the door and went outside.

Hayate had just parked his bike at the front of the house and took off his helmet when he saw his Dad.

"You're late." Kenji grumbled.

"I know, I had a few things to take care of, it took a little longer than it should." Hayate replied as he got off his bike.

"What could be more important than this?!"

"Relax; I'm here now aren't I? Let's just get this over with." Hayate answered in a cool fashion as he walked inside the house, shortly followed by his father.

"Hey Mom." Hayate said softly as he went and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi, now Hayate this is Valon Koestler. He'll be having dinner with us today."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Koestler." Hayate outstretched his hand for a handshake but as he did this, the sleeve of his blazer shifted backward slightly.

Hayate noticed that more of his arm was revealed and his eyes widened slightly. Valon shook his hand and replied.

"Likewise."

While saying this, he glanced at Hayate's arm. Even though he couldn't see anything there, he could feel something was present.

When Valon let go of the hand Hayate quickly put his hand in his pocket, making Valon feel a little more intrigued.

"So shall we head into the dining room? I think dinner will be ready now." Natsumi announced.

With her leading the way, the four of them headed into the dining room to have their meal.

The dining room was reasonably large with wooden flooring and presented a large, rectangular dining table in the middle of the room. The table had an expensive cream tablecloth with a border design of flowers. There were four chairs made from mahogany at the table, one at the top and bottom of the table and two on either side in the middle. Each seat at the table had crystal wine glasses, expensive cutlery and silk napkins.

As the four went in they all took to their seats. Kenji was at the head of the table, with Hayate seated at the bottom. This left Valon and Natsumi sitting opposite of each other at the table. Soon after they took their seats, two maids entered from the kitchen. One was pushing a cart which carried four dinner plates all covered with lids, while the other carried the wine bottle. The first maid stopped near the table and placed a plate in front of each person, lifting the lid at the same time to reveal the food (lobster linguine). The other maid went to each person and poured some wine in each glass, with each person showing their gratitude. When they had finished serving, both maids left the room. Kenji then raised his glass and said,

"Well then, cheers."

The other members all raised their glasses in unison and sipped their wine before they started eating.

After a while of general conversation and consumption of the food, Valon turned his attention to Hayate to get to know him a bit better.

"So Hayate, what do you do?"

"I'm a student at Domino, currently studying Business Management."

"Another businessman in the family. Anything specific you're looking to head into?"

"Well…"

"Hayate is eventually going to follow me, into the Finance field, maybe his own business one day." Kenji interrupted.

"I see; Finance is a good field to head into."

"I'm actually thinking of maybe going into Marketing." Hayate said to finish the sentence that he started before being interrupted.

Kenji was surprised by hearing this but tried not to show this in front of his guest.

"Marketing, can I ask why?" Valon asked, intrigued by his answer.

"I just have more passion for it than any other field. Don't get me wrong I enjoy Finance but I believe you should head in the direction of where your heart follows."

Valon gave a little smile at Hayate's answer,

"That's fair enough, but Marketing is also hard to be successful in. Have you done any marketing to see if you're actually good at it?"

"Not really."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"So you don't think your Duel Tournament counts then?"

Hayate paused his eating in surprise that Valon knew about his tournament, as did Kenji.

"How do you know about that?"

"Very little escapes my attention in regards to business. I noticed the Kaiba Dome was booked on a weekend for a tournament so I kept my eye on it. I must admit it was very clever of you to use the Dome. Bookings are very expensive but depending on the deal, the potential revenue from it can easily outweigh he costs."

"Thank you."

"Indeed it can; luckily Hayate took my advice on that, exploring and seizing every opportunity." Kenji stepped in.

Hayate then began to discreetly clench his left fist in anger of his Dad's comment. Especially as he was completely against the tournament and gave him no advice whatsoever. Natsumi noticed this and hoped that Hayate doesn't create a scene in reaction to his Dad's comments.

"I see…that's good advice."

"That's what I've been teaching him, so that he will make the right decisions. That's why when he ran the idea by me about this tournament. I knew that it would be very successful."

At this point Hayate dropped his fork onto the plate making a loud noise. Everyone turned to look at him as he gently put his hands on the table and asked calmly.

"May I be excused?"

"We have a guest Hayate."

"You may, Hayate." Natsumi intervened.

Kenji was about to say something but Natsumi gave him a look to leave the situation as it is. Hayate calmly left his seat and walked out of the room.

It was now 7.30pm. it was about twenty minutes after dinner came to a close. Hayate was standing outside resting on a railing, facing the back garden. He was watching the start of the sunset as he was thinking about what happened earlier.

Hayate: ("I can't believe my Dad said that. He never wanted me to succeed with my tournament. He said it was pointless and a waste of time because the return would be small. Now he was saying he was all for it and for what? Just to impress some guy? Whatever the reason, it was completely out of line.")

Hayate then heard the back door open. He immediately thought it was his Dad so he turned around and snapped saying,

"What do you want?!"

He then realised it was Valon who was at the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought…"

"Don't worry about it."

Valon closed the door and joined Hayate at the railing as they both watched the sunset.

"Not meaning to pry but I take it you and your Dad are not too close."

Hayate didn't answer the question and carried on watching the sunset.

"It's okay, I understand. I kind of knew something was off in the discussion about your tournament. But then again, I'm used to people exaggerating things to try and entice me.

"Really?"

"It happens a lot, but I rather have clients display honesty instead of lying. It just seems that not many people can grasp that, so don't take it too personally. Your Dad just did the same thing that many of my clients have done before."

Hayate sighed and then slightly opened up to Valon as he felt he could trust him.

"It's not like I hate my Dad. We're just not always on the same page, despite him supposedly being my mentor."

"I know exactly what you mean."

"You do?"

"Yeah, except that with me I came to hate my father, so I would advice you two to sort out whatever problems you have before you live to regret it."

"Well I suppose you can go and tell him that also."

"That's not why I'm here."

"I know, you here to do business with him right?"

"Apart from that, there's something else as well, a proposition for you."

"For me?"

"Indeed. Basically I have quite a few contacts in the Pro League circuit who I sometimes send duellists their way that I feel are good enough to make it in to the circuit."

"So you have a hand in duelling also."

"When you are as successful as me, you'll have hands in everything. Anyway, I'm going to cut straight to the chase. I watched your Duel in the final of your Tournament."

"You did? But how? I specifically asked for no cameras."

"It doesn't matter how I did it; what's more important is that I liked what I saw. So much so, that I forwarded the tape to my contacts. They liked what they saw to and want you to join their organisation."

"What?!"

"They think you have what it takes to make it in the Pro League and therefore, want to sign you up before any other sponsor does in the future. So what do you say?"

"I'm really flattered and would like to thank them for their interest, but I have a degree to finish."

"I'm sure they would be willing to do a pre-contract agreement. So when you finish your degree you can immediately join and get started."

Hayate couldn't believe that such an opportunity has been handed to him. But the more he thought about it, the more he thought that this offer is too good to be true.

"What's the catch?"

"What makes you think there is a catch?"

"Because the deal is heavily one-sided, it's too much in my favour. Plus it would be foolish to make such an important decision based on just one duel."

Valon smiled and admitted he was right. "You're definitely a lot smarter than I thought you were. There is a catch."

"What is it?" he asked in a very low tone, almost reluctant to know what it is.

"They will meet and discuss terms with you, only if you face a certain duellist and beat him."

"Who?"

"Ryusei Fujiwara."

"Him?!"

"Is there a problem?"

"Why do I have to duel against that bastard again?! Why not give me a pro instead?! Choosing him doesn't make any sense!"

"I honestly don't know why they want you to face him. I can only guess that this person pushed you to your limits. Maybe they want to test that you're victory wasn't a fluke."

Hayate growled in frustration after hearing this.

"It wasn't a fluke! I'm the better duellist and I've already proven that!"

"Then why are you getting angry? If you know positively that you can beat him then it shouldn't be a problem."

Hayate knew that Valon was right and his reaction has backed him into a corner.

"Your father said he taught you to seize every opportunity, so this is one you most definitely should take. It's just one guy that you've beaten before, so it should be a piece of cake."

Hayate was deeply thinking about this because he knows it wasn't easy to beat Ryusei, it never is. Valon noticed Hayate's internal struggle so he relieved him of the pressure a little. He went to his pocket and handed him a card.

"Luckily for you, you have five days to make a decision. If you do decide to duel him, make it happen at this time and location. They will be watching the match elsewhere but if you're late by one minute, then the offer will be withdrawn."

Hayate looked at the card as he thought about the decision he will take regarding the offer.

"Remember, it's about grasping opportunities that are presented to you. Don't make a decision that you'll regret. I'll see you around."

As Valon left him and went back into the house Hayate looked at the sun as it just finished setting, wondering what to do.

Location: Domino East Dorm

It was early Wednesday afternoon, on a mild but cloudy day. Ryusei was in his room working on some more revision notes. As he was about to start writing some down from his lecture notes he heard a beep from his PDA. He looked and noticed he had an email from Hayate.

"Hayate?"

He opened up the email and it said,

_I assume you probably feel what I'm feeling ever since our match at the tournament. If you want to settle this once and for all, meet me at the Wakashi premises on the outskirts of Domino at 1.00 sharp. Don't be late._

Ryusei ignored the message and continued with his studies. However as he tried to write some notes down, his concentration kept waning. He had a real desire to go and settle this rivalry once for all. He attempted to ignore his feelings and focused on writing his notes. After writing a few down he then stopped writing and was thinking, but then became distracted again.

"Damn it!" he muttered to himself as he got up, grabbed his bag and the keys to his bike.

He then went to his drawer and grabbed his Deck and headed out of the dorm.

Outside the main library Vanessa and Shinji were heading towards their respective revision lectures and were chatting away. Vanessa then caught her eye on Ryusei who was seemingly heading to the car park.

"Ryusei!" Vanessa called out loudly, but Ryusei didn't hear her as he was too focused on the task in hand.

Ryusei then got on his bike and started his engine.

"Doesn't he have a revision lecture with you?" Vanessa asked Shinji.

"Yeah he does, why is he leaving?"

At that point Ryusei then rode out of the University and headed for his destination.

"Where is he going?"

"I don't know."

Vanessa felt the need to know where he was going as she felt maybe something was wrong and wanted to help. By chance Vanessa turned and saw Kazuma walking up to them. She then decided to seize on an opportunity.

"Kazuma, I need a favour!"

"I didn't even get to say hi and you're asking for favours." He responded.

"Ryusei has just left the uni, we need to go and follow him."

"Why?"

"Yeah, why?" Shinji asked in support of Kazuma.

"Haven't you noticed that ever since the tournament ended he's been a little distant?"

"So?"

"So we need to find out what's wrong. I sense something might have happened to Ryusei and he may need our help."

Shinji then remembered about what Ryusei said before about his past, in the duel with Kasumi. He then realised how it has troubled Vanessa since this information came out.

"I agree with her, Kazuma. I think we should check this out, just this one time."

"But…"

"Please, Kazuma." Vanessa begged.

Kazuma deeply sighed as a sign of giving in.

"Fine, let's go."

The three of them went into the car park and into Kazuma's car. Kazuma sparked his engine and drove off in the same direction Ryusei went. Not too far away from them though was Yuji, who was eavesdropping on their conversation. He wondered also what was happening so he pulled out some keys from his pocket and headed towards the car park.

Location: Domino Town

Inside one of the many skyscrapers in the business district of Domino was Valon. He was sitting in a dark room at the head of a rectangular table with another five seats around it. On the back of the other five chairs was a mark, which actually turned out to be Roman Numerals. I, II, III, IV, V. He then heard a knock on the door and it opened. Five people walked in but it was hard to identify them due to the darkness of the room. What was known was two women came and sat down on seats II and V. Three men then followed in and sat at seats I, III, IV.

"Welcome." Valon said.

"You said this was an emergency meeting." IV asked.

"I suppose it is, but I suppose it's not."

"What's this about?" II asked.

"You will find out in a couple of minutes."

Exactly at 1:00pm Ryusei arrived outside the Wakashi premises which turned out to be an abandoned warehouse. As he parked in front of it he noticed Hayate's bike nearby. He got off his bike and took his Duel Disk out of his bag and went inside. As he went in he noticed the warehouse was completely empty. But to his left he saw Hayate relaxing on the wall with a serious look on his face.

"Nice to know that you're punctual."

"Why did you call me out here?" Ryusei asked, determined to get an answer.

"Because, we feel the same."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ever since our match at the tournament I felt that this wasn't over. Even though I proved to the University that I'm the better duellist, all the talk was about you, how you did and how far you came. I imagine that you felt something else, maybe that you could have won, or that if you had complete focus on this tournament, you would have won."

Even though Ryusei would never admit to Hayate's face. He knew inside that he was right in what he was feeling.

"So I saw this as an opportunity to resolve this once and for all."

"So it's a winner takes all duel you wanted?"

"Yeah, the last duel to settle this rivalry, with no audience, no interruptions and no holding back."

Ryusei then walked to the right side of the warehouse so that he was level with Hayate.

"Fine,"

Ryusei inserted his Deck into his Duel Disk and Hayate then did the same.

But unbeknownst to them, they were a few micro cameras around the building, mainly positioned near the corners of the ceiling.

They activated their Duel Disks and they both shouted,

"DUEL!"

(Hayate-4000/Ryusei-4000)

Elsewhere, Valon pressed a button underneath the table. The back wall split apart to reveal a massive plasma screen TV which was the same size as the wall. The screen turned on and it showed Ryusei and Hayate preparing to start their duel.

"Hmm, the blonde guy is cute, but the other guy is not so bad either." V immediately said.

"Typical of you to go for looks before anything else." III replied.

"So we're watching a duel? Why?" II asked Valon.

"Partly for entertainment, but mainly because I have a hunch about something." he answered.

"A hunch, huh? I've got better things to do then watch a couple of kids duel." I said in an arrogant manner.

"If I'm right though, then you wouldn't want to miss this."

Back at the warehouse, Ryusei drew his card to start off the match.

"I summon Apprentice Magician (400/800) in defense mode! Turn end."

Hayate: ("I have to win this duel, failure is not an option! My future is riding on this match so I will win, no matter what!")

"My turn, I play the spell Enemy Controller to shift your magician to attack mode, I then summon Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV4 (1600/1000)!"

Ryusei: (Damn, Horus is out already?")

"Horus, attacks your Apprentice Magician!"

Horus breathed in and roared out a black fireball instantly engulfing Apprentice Magician and destroyed it.

(4000/2800)

"Apprentice Magician's effect let's me summon a level 2 Spellcaster in face-down defense when it's destroyed by battle, so I choose Old Vindictive Magician (450/600)!"

Hayate growled at the play knowing what's going to happen next turn.

"I set a card face-down and in my End Phase, I send my Horus LV4 to the Graveyard to level it up to Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV6 (2300/1600)!"

Horus LV4 turned bright yellow and evolved into a much larger and fierce looking black dragon which let out a powerful roar.

"Turn end."

Outside the warehouse, Kazuma, Vanessa and Shinji had just arrived and noticed

Ryusei's and Hayate's motorbikes were here.

"Ryusei's bike is here!" Shinji exclaimed.

"And so is Hayate's, what is going on here?" Kazuma asked himself.

They got out of the car and they soon heard a motorbike approaching them and slowed down at their location. The Suzuki motorbike was silver with a few black streaks going diagonally across from top to bottom, with the rider's helmet looking exactly the same. The rider parked next to Kazuma's car and took of his helmet.

"Yuji? What are you doing here?" Kazuma asked surprisingly.

"I heard what you were talking about so I was curious to know what was going on, and it seems I have my answer.

"What do you mean?" Vanessa asked.

"If Ryusei and Hayate are both here then they must be facing off inside."

As soon as Vanessa heard this she rushed inside with the others following afterwards, except for Yuji who just calmly walked behind them. Vanessa went inside and saw Ryusei and Hayate duelling.

"Ryusei!" Vanessa called out.

"Vanessa?" Ryusei said in astonishment, soon afterwards Shinji, Kazuma and Yuji followed in.

"What's going on Ryusei?" Shinji asked.

"Did you invite them here?" Hayate asked Ryusei in an irate tone.

"No, I didn't. What are you guys doing here?"

"We thought you may be in trouble, ever since the tournament you've been a little different Ryusei. We were worried in case something had happened as you just took off from uni." Vanessa explained.

"I'm fine Vanessa; I'm just taking care of some unfinished business."

"Indeed," Hayate interrupted. "So if you don't mind we would like to conclude our business ALONE!!"

"We're not going anywhere!" Shinji answered back which annoyed Hayate.

"Ryusei's our friend and we'll be there for him when he needs us."

Hayate growled in anger, but he admitted defeat and accepted it.

"Fine! Looks like you get a cheerleading squad Ryusei, not that it would help, your move!"

Ryusei drew his card, and was thinking about the situation at hand before making his move.

Ryusei: ("He knows his Horus will be destroyed this turn. My money is that his face down will revive it. I have to prevent it from evolving no matter the cost!")

"I flip summon Old Vindictive Magician (450/600) and when he's flipped I can destroy a monster on your side so Horus is now destroyed!"

Old Vindictive Magician fired a purple ray from his staff, shattering Horus LV6.

"I then release my Old Vindictive Magician for Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000)! Cybernetic Magician, attack Hayate directly!"

"I activate Call Of The Haunted to resurrect Horus LV6 (2300/1600)!"

"Cybernetic Magician, attack Horus LV6 with Light Cyber Blast!"

Ryusei's monster twirled his short staff and fired a ray of white magic destroying Horus.

(3900/2800)

"I set a card face down and end my turn."

"My turn, I play Level Modulation so you get to draw two cards."

Ryusei drew his cards knowing what was going to happen next.

"In return I get to summon Horus LV6 (2300/1600) back to the field! I set a face down and end my turn, your move Ryusei!"

Yuji: ("Obviously Hayate's face down is to protect his Horus or to destroy Ryusei's magician, hence why he summoned it in attack mode. Ryusei should play this turn safe but there is something different about those two. This time, it feels like it's more than just a duel to them.")

"Have you noticed something Yuji?" Kazuma asked as he noticed Yuji was thinking deeply about something.

"No, just wondering how the duel's going to turn out that's all."

Ryusei: ("Hayate's face down will protect Horus, or destroy my magician. I can't risk attacking. But I have to! I must take every possible opportunity! I must win this duel no matter what!")

"My turn, I use Cybernetic Magician's effect to discard a card (Magical Exemplar) to limit your Horus' attack to 2000 (Horus LV6-2000/1600)! Cybernetic Magician attacks now!"

"No, Ryusei!" Vanessa shouted, knowing he's fallen into a trap.

"Sorry Ryusei, but I activate my Shrink card!"

"No!"

"Shrink cuts your Magician's attack in half so say goodbye to your best monster Cybernetic-1200/1000)!"

Horus fired a large black fireball at Cybernetic Magician, which dissipated the magicians' attack and eventually destroyed it.

(3900/2000)

"Why did he do that?! He should have known Hayate's face down would have done something!" An annoyed Vanessa blasted, due to Ryusei making an obvious mistake.

"It's almost like exactly the first time they duelled. When Ryusei made wrong calls and rushed his plays." Shinji said to answer Vanessa. "But I thought he already learned from that."

"From the basis of what just happened, obviously not." Kazuma replied.

A frustrated Ryusei continued his move to finish his turn.

"I summon Royal Magical Library in defense (0/2000) mode and end my turn."

"In your End Phase, since Horus LV6 destroyed a monster, you know what's coming next don't you?"  
Ryusei gritted his teeth in frustration and anger for making an error of judgment.

Ryusei: ("How did I let myself get into this situation? I've now lost my best monster and have no comeback moves in my hand. It felt like the first time we duelled. For some reason I feel I have to win at all costs, but why? It's just a duel.")

"I now evolve Horus LV6 to Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV8 (3000/1800)!"

Horus LV6 was engulfed in black flames and within the flames; it grew into a larger, more vicious dragon with eyes of piercing hatred. It let out an ear aching roar as the flames subsided. As Ryusei stared at the monster, he started to doubt himself.

Ryusei: ("I let my emotions take over again, I have to keep a cool head if I want to win this. But it may already be too late to comeback into this match. I just have to ride this out until I can come up with something.")

"My turn now, I equip Horus with Fairy Meteor Crush so now when it attacks a monster in defense mode, the difference between my monster's attack and your monster's defense is dealt as damage!"

"No," Vanessa whispered.

"Horus, attack his Library with Black Mega Flame!" The dragon breathed out a ray of black flames which had jewels embedded in it. The ray went through the huge tower and hit Ryusei as he put his hands up to protect himself.

(3900/1000)

Hayate: ("That's it; make him suffer a devastating defeat!")

"I set a card face down and end my turn! Is that all you got Ryusei, I honestly expected a better challenge from you!"

Ryusei was just silent and expressionless.

"Nothing to say either, I don't know why I was worried about this duel in the first place! But you do have one turn left, one turn to pull something out of the bag! So make your move now!"

Ryusei: ("If I want any chance of winning I've got to draw something now! So please my Deck, give me something to turn this duel around!")

Ryusei drew his card silently, and looked at it for a while. He closed his eyes and deeply sighed in a disappointing manner, saying.

"I play one card face down and end my turn."

"No Ryusei!" Vanessa and Shinji exclaimed.

"What a shame, I actually got worked up over this worthless scumbag. Thanks for making me stress over nothing Ryusei!" Hayate drew his card, which he liked but had no need to use.

"Any last words Ryusei?"

Ryusei kept his head down and had no response.

"Fine, Horus LV8 will end this duel now! Go Black Mega Flame!!"

"RYUSEI!!" Vanessa shouted as everyone else who was watching looked on silently.

Ryusei kept his head down and his closed his eyes, as a large ray of black flames travelled at a high velocity towards him.

End of Chapter


	17. Chapter 17 Destiny Duel! Battle Of Wills

LP (3900/1000)

Ryusei drew his card silently, and stared at it for a while. He closed his eyes and deeply sighed as a sign of disappointment. He finished his move by saying in a low tone,

"I play one card face down and end my turn."

"No Ryusei!" Vanessa and Shinji exclaimed.

"What a shame, I actually got worked up over this worthless scumbag. Thanks for making me stress over nothing Ryusei!" Hayate drew his card, which he liked but had no use for; since he thought victory was his.

"Any last words Ryusei?"

Ryusei kept his head down and had no response.

"Fine, Horus LV8 will end this duel now! Go Black Mega Flame!!"

Ryusei kept his head down and his eyes closed as the large ray of black flames travelled at a high velocity towards him.

"RYUSEI!!" Vanessa shouted in concern for Ryusei's impending loss.

Suddenly, Ryusei felt a high pitched screech within himself, exactly like last time in the tournament final. As a response, Ryusei sharply opened his eyes, expressing a real determination for battle.

"Go Trap Card!"

Ryusei's face down flipped open and revealed two decorated pink cylinders, each with a green arrow pointing in the opposite direction of each other.

"Shit!" Hayate exclaimed, realising what the Trap was.

"Magic Cylinder!"

Vanessa and Shinji cheered as Horus' ray of black flames forcibly entered the first cylinder and was then being transferred into the second.

"Magic Cylinder negates the attack of one of your monsters, and then you take damage equal to that monster's attack points!" Ryusei explained.

The second cylinder fired the flames back at Hayate who put his arms up to protect himself from the blast.

(900/1000)

"Ryusei," Hayate growled. "You played me for a fool!"

"You fooled yourself into thinking that I would just give up that easily!"

Hayate viciously growled in anger.

"You may have survived this turn Ryusei but this duel is far from done!"

"I know it isn't, but I have faith in myself and in my Deck Hayate! So I know that no matter what happens in this duel, victory will be mine!"

Hayate shrugged off Ryusei's remark and continued with his turn.

"I play Graceful Charity so I draw three cards and then discard two!"

As he drew his three cards he noticed that he drew Armageddon Tornado, his game ending card. As much as he wanted to keep it, he decided to discard it with another card as he felt he would not need it, especially with what he drew.

"I set a monster face-down and a card face-down on the field! Now make your move Ryusei, you say as long as you have faith you will win right?! Well then, let's put your belief to the test Ryusei and prove that you're supposedly the superior duellist!"

Ryusei put his fingers on his Deck as he and Hayate traded vengeful looks. Ryusei then drew his card sharply and paused, as everyone watched in anticipation of the next turn.

**Chapter 17-Destiny Duel! Battle Of Wills!**

Location: Domino Town

In one of the buildings in Domino, Valon and his group were watching the duel on the plasma screen at the back wall of the dark room. Everyone was silently watching until the guy sitting on chair III wanted to know something.

"I'm all for a bit of entertainment, but I have to ask, why are we watching this duel?"

"As I said before, I have a hunch." Valon asked.

"Even though that's the case, those guys don't know you personally. So how did you make them duel?" IV said to enter the discussion.

"If you must know I made up some story of a company wanting to sign one of them to the Pro League, but a stipulation in the offer was to duel the other person. I'm not exactly proud of it but it needed to be done."

"For a hunch right?" the woman at chair V asked.

"That's right, do you object?"

"No, I don't mind seeing a couple of cute guys duel, even though it's a shame that the guy in black isn't duelling."

As one of the cameras pointed towards Yuji for a short time, you could sense that the woman was smiling at him.

"I would _love_ to show him a few moves."

At this point, the man sitting on chair I got up and was heading out of the room, surprising the people at the table. Valon noticed this but didn't react. He continued watching but simply asked at the same time.

"Where are you going?"

"No offence Valon, but I'm not going to waste my time watching a couple of amateurs settle their little cat fight. I've got better things to do."

"Before you walk out that door, let me ask you something." The woman sitting on chair II said in response.

"Of all the time you've known Valon, has he ever been wrong?"

The man gave no response as a sign of admitting that Valon has generally never been wrong.

"Since you know the answer to that question there shouldn't be any reason for you to doubt him now. He wouldn't have called us here to watch this if there wasn't anything worth watching, and I'm sure everything will be revealed in good time. So please, have a little patience."

The man deeply sighed, reluctantly turned back around and collapsed back on his chair to continue watching the duel.

Location: Wakashi Premises

Back at the warehouse, Ryusei noticed that the card he drew gave him a chance to come back and turn the duel to his favour.

Ryusei: ("This card can give me a chance to fight back. If I'm right on what Hayate's face down monster is then I must make him summon it this turn. Hopefully then, I'll have the advantage.")

"I set two cards face down on the field and end my turn!"

"Is that all Ryusei? Afraid to throw down a monster are we? I can't say I blame you as I know you don't have anything that can take down my Horus!"

Ryusei kept silent but looked rather confident, which gave Hayate some doubt on achieving victory on this turn.

Hayate: ("Damn, with that play I will need a new hand just in case things go awry. At the moment, two face down cards stand between me and my chance at becoming a Pro. Even though he's looking very confident, I won't back down! No matter what it takes I will win this duel!")

Hayate then glanced at his face down card.

Hayate: ("Besides, it's always best to have an insurance policy incase things don't go according to plan.")

Hayate drew his card sharply and moved quickly through the phases.

"I flip summon my face-down Morphing Jar (700/600) so we discard our hands and draw five new cards!"

Ryusei: ("I was right!")

Hayate discarded only 1 card (Level Up!) while Ryusei discarded three (Double Spell, Magician's Unite and Chaos Command Magician). As both players drew their five cards, Ryusei had an uneasy look on his face as he did not draw a single monster in his new hand. But he didn't have enough time to think of a strategy as Hayate then moved straight to the Battle Phase.

"Now, Horus LV8 (3000/1800), attack Ryusei directly with Black Mega Flame!!"

As Horus roared out a large fireball of black flames, Ryusei then seized on his opportunity to strike back.

"I activate Mirror Force, which reflects the attack back at you, destroying all your monsters in attack mode!"

The fireball hit a curved mirror which reflected the flames back to Horus and Morphing Jar, destroying them instantly.

"He did it! He got rid of Horus!" Shinji said happily.

Vanessa nodded in agreement with a smile on her face while Kazuma and Yuji both smiled at the play. Surprisingly though, Hayate had no reaction to what just happened.

"Well done Ryusei, you actually managed to destroy my Horus. However, there is something you should know. I knew you were going to do that from the start!"

"You did?"

"Of course I did, that's why I prepared a little something just in case."

Ryusei then looked at Hayate's remaining face-down card and realised it was that card that Hayate was talking about.

Ryusei: ("His face down card must be it. But Horus LV8 can't be Special Summoned from the Graveyard. Unless…")

"I activate my face-down, Level Ashes!"

As the card flipped face-up a large pile of ashes as tall as Hayate himself appeared on the field.

"What does that do?"

"Why should I tell you what it does, when I can just show you what happens? Rise from the ashes, Horus The Black Flame Dragon (3000/1800)!"

The ashes swirled to from the shape of Horus LV8 and then they disintegrated to reveal the true form of Horus LV8, which bellowed out a vengeful roar.

As the people watching in the warehouse had faces of concern, Ryusei was quite surprised to see Horus resurrected in this way.

"What the…"

"That's the effect the Level Ashes," Hayate interrupted. "On the turn that a LV monster is destroyed by an opponent's card effect, I can Special Summon that monster back to the field, ignoring the usual summoning requirements! Sorry Ryusei, but this duel is coming to an end!"

Ryusei then gave a little smile at Hayate, saying,

"Actually, it's about to get interesting."

Hayate had a perplexed look in his face as he didn't know what Ryusei was taking about, until Ryusei then revealed his plan.

"I activate my Trap, Magical Starsign!"

Two circles made from stars appeared on the field, one was above the other and they both rotated in different directions. After seeing this, Vanessa and Shinji celebrated the possibility of Ryusei coming back into the match.

"Magical Starsign can only be activated when my opponent Special Summons a monster. It allows me to remove from play one monster from my Graveyard. Then I can Special Summon a Spellcaster-Type monster from my Graveyard to the field!"

A bright light shone in between the two circles in which Royal Magical Library appeared. The monster then exploded into thousands of little stars filling the entire field.

"Hmm, you knew I would get Horus back. So you planned ahead to get back that so called 'ace' monster of yours."

"Be reborn, Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000)!"

The stars came together to form a swirling pillar of light, which Cybernetic Magician suddenly burst out from. The monster then descended in front of Ryusei with a face showing it's ready for the fight of its life.

Ryusei smiled at his monster as he could always count on Cybernetic Magician to be there when he needed him. Hayate however, wasn't impressed with Ryusei's move and sternly looked at him.

"Do you think I care that you've got your monster back?! It's not even worthy to face my Horus!"

"You're wrong Hayate! This is where the real battle begins! Despite what you believe, strength doesn't come from just yourself! It comes from the bonds you have with others!"

Hayate immediately brushed aside Ryusei's statement as nonsense.

"Bonds? Again with your completely selfless attitude! Do you not remember what I told you last time we duelled."

"Yeah I do, you told me that my selflessness holds me back. That until I start focusing on myself I won't become truly strong and become the person I was meant to be."

"That's right! So why haven't you taken my advice?"

"Ever since that day I've been thinking about what you said. But then I figured out that it doesn't make you truly strong!"

"If not, then what does?"

"Having complete faith in yourself, and protecting the people closest to you!"

Vanessa ("Ryusei.")

"That in my eyes is what makes you a truly strong person. Bonds with others are the most important thing that you will have in life. Just like my Cybernetic Magician I would easily do everything necessary to protect the bonds I have with others! That is my belief and my principle, which is why with those I will most definitely win today!"

"Cybernetic Magician versus Horus; should be an interesting clash." III said.

"Maybe that's what you think, personally the sooner these kids finish the better" I answered back in a cold manner.

As a reaction to Ryusei's speech, Hayate started to show his appreciation with slow clapping.

"Impressive speech, you almost touched my heart for a moment." He responded in a sarcastic manner, annoying Ryusei.

"Now let me tell you something Ryusei. You may believe that you must protect every bond you make. However, some people will not value them as high as you do. I learnt that lesson the hard way, so when I gave you that advice I was speaking from experience. Bonds which you think were strong and long-standing can easily be broken."

When saying this last sentence Hayate gave a quick glance to Kazuma, who still could not figure out what he had done in the past to cause this strain between him and Hayate.

"But I know you Ryusei. You will still go about with your ways and ignore what I've just said. If that's the way you want to be then fine! I set three cards face down on the field!! Now make your move Ryusei! If you really think your belief and style of duelling is better than mine, PROVE IT!!"

"FINE, I WILL!! MY TURN!!" Ryusei drew his card, glanced at it and immediately discarded it.

"I activate my Magician's effect, Limited Strength!"

"Yes! Now by discarding a card, Horus' attack becomes fixed at 2000!" Shinji announced.

(Horus LV8-2000/1800)

"Cybernetic Magician, attack Horus LV8, with Light Cyber Blast!!"

Cybernetic Magician fired a ray of white light from its staff which Horus blocked with its large wings. However, as soon as the ray struck Horus' wings, both players grimaced as they felt a slight shooting pain in their chests, which shortly subsided.

Hayate: ("What the hell was that?")

Ryusei: ("This pain, it was just like the last time we duelled. But did it come from my heart?")

Ryusei then noticed that Horus was still blocking the attack. Unfortunately for Ryusei, Horus then opened up its wings to deflect the attack, causing the ray of light to dissipate.

"What happened?"

"That was thanks to my Trap, Waboku. This Trap allows me to take no battle damage this turn, and as a bonus, no monsters are destroyed by battle either!" Hayate explained in a smug manner.

Ryusei quietly growled in frustration of not being able to destroy Horus this turn.

"That move wasn't good enough Ryusei. If you want to beat me and my Horus, you're going to have to do a lot better than that."

"Fine,"

Ryusei then looked at his hand, deliberating what to do as he had many ideas going through his head. What he didn't know was that on his right arm, a small part of his tattoo was emitting a very dim white light. As Ryusei took his time on deciding his next move, an impatient Hayate forced him to hurry up.

"Are you going to stand there thinking about your mission in life or are you going to finish your turn?!"

"I set four cards face-down of the field and end my turn!"

Hayate scowled at the face down cards, with a feeling of near regret for rushing Ryusei into making a move.

Back in Domino, the previous turn stirred quite a bit of interest for Valon and his group.

"Did you notice what happened in the last exchange?" Valon generally asked the group.

"Yeah, they experienced pain when they're monsters clashed." III answered.

"So are they what we think they are?" IV asked Valon.

"Potential Soul Duellists?" V added on also.

"Possibly." Valon answered coolly.

"Even if they were Soul Duellists we've never made a big deal about them before, so what makes today any different?" I announced, already bored out of his skull from watching the duel.

"That's true. However, there is something else about those two." II answered as Valon and the rest continued watching.

At the warehouse, Hayate prepared to start his turn.

"My turn!!" he shouted as he drew his card viciously, he looked at the card and smiled. This is because he figured that with the card he drew, plus his other face down cards, he was absolutely certain of victory.

"First I will activate my Continuous Trap, Coffin Seller!" Hayate announced.

"Coffin Seller?" Ryusei asked in a confused manner as he hadn't come across that card before.

"This is bad; thanks to that Trap if any monster is sent to Ryusei's Graveyard he will take 300 points of damage!" Shinji exclaimed.

"He's trying to finish Ryusei off. With Horus out to negate Spells and at 3000 ATK points, Coffin Seller is there as a means to guarantee victory." Yuji added, giving Vanessa a little bit of worry while Kazuma just looked on with no reaction.

Ryusei, bearing in mind what he just heard prepared himself for Hayate's next attack.

"Battle, Horus LV8, attack Cybernetic Magician with Black Mega Flame!!" Both duellists again suffered a slight shooting pain in their chests, distracting them shortly before Ryusei countered Hayate's move.

"I activate my Trap, Negate Attack! This stops your attack and ends the Battle Phase!"

The black flames hit a vortex which appeared on Ryusei's field and warped the attack elsewhere until nothing was left.

"Fine, I play a card face-down!"

"My turn, then!"

At this point, half of Ryusei's tattoo was producing a dim white light. Ryusei had then unknowingly let his emotions take over. He was so focused on defeating Horus in anyway possible that he didn't even look at the card he drew.

"I activate my face down Spell Book Of Power! So I remove two Spell Cards from my Graveyard (Double Spell, Magician's Unite), and then Cybernetic Magician's attack increases by 1000!"

(Cybernetic Magician-3400/1000)

"I know what your Trap does, and it doesn't make a difference!" Hayate exclaimed.

Ryusei gritted his teeth in response and moved on into the Battle Phase.

"Cybernetic Magician attacks now!"

"Sorry Ryusei, but you sold yourself short this time! Because I activate Rush Recklessly, which gives my Horus 700 more points!"

(Horus LV8-3700/1800)

"Then I'll activate my Trap, Spellcaster's Strike!"

"Crap!"

"Spellcaster's Strike can only be activated when a Spellcaster I control declares an attack! It reduces an opposing monster by half its original ATK points and then adds 300 ATK points to my attacking monster!!"

(Cybernetic-3700/1000, Horus LV8-2200/1800)

"I've already told you Ryusei, if you want to win then you have to do better than that!"

"If Ryusei's attack goes through, then he will win!" Vanessa shouted out in a happy manner but Ryusei for some reason, felt uncomfortable with the decision. However he had no choice but to continue on with the battle.

"Cybernetic Magician!!"

This time, both duellists suffered an intense shooting pain from their chests, causing both of them to groan and clutch their chests to cope with the pain.

"Attack!" Ryusei weakly said, still recovering from the pain he suffered.

As Cybernetic Magician twirled its staff in preparation to attack, Hayate knew he'd won and shouted passionately,

"This duel is over!!" He then revealed one of his face-down cards.

"Thanks to my Trap, Engulfing Black Fames!! When I have a Horus monster out I can remove from play a Horus monster in my Graveyard to increase the attack of a monster on the field by the same amount as the removed monster!"

As he said this, Horus LV6 (2300/1600) appeared onto the field and burst into black flames, engulfing Horus LV8. The monster roared loudly as his body turned into black flames and had the appearance of a black phoenix.

(Horus LV8-4500/1800)

"4500?!" Vanessa said in disbelief.

"There's no way he can survive that!" Shinji followed.

"What's worse is that with Coffin Seller out, as soon as Cybernetic Magician is destroyed, the 300 damage he will take will make him lose the duel." Kazuma added, giving Vanessa and Shinji a major cause for concern.

"Call off your attack Ryusei!!" Vanessa shouted in desperation.

"Too late!" Hayate replied smugly "Strike back Horus with Black Mega Flame!!"

As Horus breathed out a large ray of intense black flames, Cybernetic Magician fired its Light Cyber Blast and the two beams clashed in the middle of the field. Both Ryusei and Hayate groaned in pain as they suffered another intense shooting pain in their chests. they both leant over, breathing heavily as they tried to recover, as well as wondering what was happening.

Hayate: ("What is going on?")

Ryusei: ("Why does my heart ache so much?")

Yuji: ("Something isn't right here. It looks like they are hurting inside.")

Hayate then looked up and gave a wry smile as he noticed the flames were starting to overpower the ray of magic. The flames eventually won the battle, destroying the light and hitting Cybernetic Magician, causing a huge explosion, followed by an enormous smoke cloud.

As Vanessa and Shinji looked on, thinking that Ryusei had lost, Hayate had a big smile on his face as he figured he had attained victory in a hard fought battle. However, Cybernetic Magician then waved the smoke away with his staff, making Vanessa and Shinji smile.

Hayate's smile then slowly turned to a face of contempt, at a complete loss to how Ryusei avoided certain defeat.

"What the hell?! Why is Cybernetic Magician still here?! Horus should have destroyed it and this duel should be over!!"

Ryusei then went to his Deck pouch and pulled out a card to show to Hayate.

"Defense Wizard?! What the hell is THAT?!"

"A monster that existed in my Graveyard!" Ryusei replied. "But while it's there, I can remove it from play to prevent a Spellcaster from being destroyed by battle! However, Damage Calculation is still applied."

LP: (900/200)

Hayate then remembered that Ryusei discarded a card to use his Cybernetic Magician's effect earlier on the duel.

"Damn YOU!!"

"And as soon as I end my turn, your Trap forces you take damage equal to the attack of Horus monsters on your field and Graveyard!"

"He's right!" Vanessa realised, and a big smile appeared on her face.

"So he's won!" Shinji followed.

"No he hasn't!!" Hayate interrupted. "Because I activate my final face down, Spell Misgivings! By paying half my Life Points I can select a Spell Card from my Graveyard and then Spell Misgivings gets the same effect! So I choose…"

Before Hayate could finish he suffered a severe chest pain from which he groaned loudly and clutched his chest in desperation.

Hayate: ("What the hell?!")

Ryusei then suffered the same thing and dropped to one knee, also clutching his chest.

Ryusei: ("What the hell is going on? It hurts so much!")

The tattoo on Ryusei's arm was now completely white. Afterwards a pillar of white light ascended from the floor up to the ceiling on Ryusei's side of the field.

"What is that?!" he said as he covered his eyes to protect his eyes from its intensity. At the same time, a dark red pillar of light ascended on Hayate's side of the field.

"What is going on?!" he exclaimed.

The pillars dimmed down their intensity, which revealed the same tattoo on Ryusei's arm to be in the epicentre of both pillars. Soon after the two pillars changed shape and were morphing into creatures.

"What…?" Ryusei started to ask.

"Is that?" Hayate continued, finishing Ryusei's question.

The lights finished changing shape and revealed two dragons slowly gliding in the air. One was a black and red dragon, with dark red wings, razor sharp claws and tri horns coming from his head. As the dragon let out a vicious, ear-deafening roar, the other dragon appeared. This dragon was pure white and sky blue, with widespread white wings, yellow eyes and let out a high pitched screech.

Everyone who was watching the duel looked up in awe, disbelief and amazement at the two mystical creatures, except for Valon who was completely expressionless.

The two dragons flew into the air and clashed producing a light which enveloped the entire field, blinding the audience watching the duel.

Inside the light, Ryusei and Hayate were locked in a trance. Thousands of images were flashing in their eyes that were related to their past and present, stirring their emotions to an optimum level. As the light subsided, the audience recovered from the light. Yuji was the first to look at the field and noticed both duellists were different.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!!" Hayate shouted at Ryusei, who now had dark red eyes which expressed malice and vengefulness. Ryusei whose eyes were a glittering white noticed the dragons were gone, and turned his attention back to Hayate.

"I will END YOU!! I use the effect of this Spell, ARMAGEDDON TORNADO!!"

(450/200)

As a thin, black wind tornado appeared on the field, Ryusei felt that the winds were real. As parts of the building started creaking and debris was sent flying around the room, Ryusei realised his friends were in danger. He looked over and saw everyone else put there arms up to protect themselves from the intense surrounding winds.

"I WILL PROTECT ALL OF YOU!!" he shouted at them before focusing his attention to Hayate.

"EVEN IF IT MEANS I'M PUTTING MYSELF ON THE LINE!! ACTIVATE SACRIFICAL GAIN!!"

As Ryusei's Trap flipped open both players suffered another shooting pain which caused them cry out and then collapse to the ground. Ryusei passed out from the pain which caused his Trap and monster to shatter. Hayate ended up clutching his chest on the ground as the tornado began to rage out of control. The others screamed due to the intensity of the winds as it started to tear apart the warehouse. Yuji felt that something needed to happen now so he decided to run out into the duel field.

"YUJI!!" Kazuma shouted to call him back but he already had gone.

Yuji's progress was hampered by the winds but he kept fighting through them slowly but surely, narrowly missing debris from the building being carried by the winds. At this point almost all of the micro cameras were destroyed except for one. So the plasma screen displayed a very unclear image this time around. As Yuji was edging closer and closer to Hayate as the tornado grew larger and closer towards them. Yuji then made a desperate leap and luckily landed next to Hayate. He went to his Duel Disk and pressed the button to deactivate it. Suddenly the tornado immediately died out into a gentle breeze and then into nothing. Yuji panted for a short time and breathed a huge sigh of relief. He looked over to Kazuma and the others to see if they were all right.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked.

"I…think so." Vanessa answered tentatively. She then looked at Ryusei who was still lying face down on the floor, unconscious.

"Ryusei!" she worryingly said as she ran over to him, followed by Kazuma.

Hayate groaned as he opened his eyes which were back to its normal ocean blue.

Yuji was about to ask whether he was okay but he saw something on Hayate's arm which surprised both him and Hayate. Hayate's right arm had a tattoo exactly the same as Ryusei. However, it was emitting a dark red pulsating light.

"What…is going on here?" Hayate said weakly, as he saw the light on his arm, which then suddenly faded into the tattoo's original state.

Vanessa was at Ryusei's side, gently shaking him to wake him up.

"Ryusei, Ryusei get up!"

"Come on; let's get him out of here." Kazuma said as he joined her.

When Kazuma rolled Ryusei over gently Vanessa saw a faint light coming from his arm, underneath his jacket. She rolled up the jacket sleeve which revealed his tattoo emitting a pulsating white light.

"What…is this thing?!" Vanessa asked in shock, Kazuma was also amazed at what he was seeing, but then regained focus to what he was meant to do.

"We will worry about that later; right now we got to get out of here."

He put Ryusei's left arm over his head and helped him up as Vanessa did the same with his right arm. Across the room Yuji had then helped up Hayate and said,

"Shinji, call for an ambulance."

Then, Yuji and Hayate both gasped in shock as they saw the tattoo on Ryusei's arm, the same as Hayate. But Ryusei's tattoo was instead, emitting a pulsating white light, before it gradually faded back to normal. This made Yuji and Hayate even more confused now. Their thoughts were on that image as they headed out of the building.

Back at Domino, the table were silent after seeing what just happened in the duel, until the woman at chair V broke the silence.

"Was that your hunch?"

"Pretty much," Valon answered coolly.

"Are those…?" II was about to ask before Valon interrupted by saying,

"Yes, they are."

"Well, that was a surprise. I never would have imagined that they would appear now, especially to a couple of students." III added.

"So what do you want us to do?" IV asked Valon.

"Nothing for now, we're just going to monitor the situation. If two of them have appeared the chances are the other three are not too far behind. We need to figure out where they are before we can proceed with our plan."

At this point the man in chair I got up and headed out of the room.

"Where are you going now?" IV said, in a tone of voice saying that he shouldn't leave just yet.

"The match is over, so I don't need to stay here. Besides, you guys have to find the other three. I've already got my target." He answered back as he opened the door and left the room.

Back outside the warehouse, Ryusei and Hayate were on carts and were being pushed by paramedics into separate ambulances. As the door closed and the ambulances drove away, Kazuma and the others decided to move as well.

"We'll follow them to the hospital to see how they're doing." Kazuma said, which Vanessa and Shinji agreed to. The three of them went to the car and Kazuma started the engine.

"I'll take care of the bikes, so I'll meet you there." Yuji said to Kazuma, who nodded and then drove off.

Yuji then put his hands in the pocket and looked up into the grey sky with a thought.

Yuji: ("I hope those two will be okay. But what in the hell happened back there?")

End of Chapter.

Preview: As the two duellists recover from their ordeal in hospital, events occur elsewhere regarding to what happened at the warehouse. Hayate and Kazuma redefine their strained friendship, and under the pressure of Vanessa, Ryusei reveals some of his past to explain why he's willing to go so far for others.

Chapter 18-Broken Bonds

ORIGINAL CARDS

Level Ashes  
Normal Trap  
Activate when a LV Monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by a card effect. Special Summon the destroyed monster, ignoring summoning requirements and equip it to this card. The monster that was Special Summoned by this effect cannot attack, nor activate or apply its effect this turn. When this card is removed from the field, destroy that monster. When that monster is removed from the field, destroy this card.

Magical Starsign  
Continuous Trap  
You can only activate this card when a monster is Special Summoned to your opponent's side of the field. Remove from play 1 Monster card from your Graveyard and Special Summon 1 Spellcaster Type Monster from your Graveyard. When this card is removed from the field, destroy the monster. When the monster is destroyed, destroy this card.

Spell Book of Power  
Normal Trap  
Activate only during the Main Phase of a turn. Remove from play 2 Spell Cards from your Graveyard to increase the ATK of one monster on your side of the field by 1000.

Spellcaster Strike  
Normal Trap  
You can only activate this card when a Spellcaster-Type Monster on your side of the field declares an attack. Decrease the ATK of 1 Monster on your opponent's side of the field by half its original attack. Then add 300 ATK Points on to the attacking Monster.

Engulfing Black Flames  
Normal Trap  
You can only activate this card while there is a face-up "Horus" Monster on your side of the field. Remove from play a "Horus" Monster from your Graveyard and increase the ATK of one "Horus" Monster on your side of the field equal to the ATK of the Monster removed from play by this card's effect. In the End Phase of the turn this card is activated, you take damage equal to the total ATK of all "Horus" Monsters on your side of the field and Graveyard.

Spell Misgivings  
Quickplay Spell  
You can only activate this card when you have 2000 Life Points or less. When this card is activated, select 1 of the following effects.  
- Pay half your Life Points to select a Spell Card in your Graveyard and remove it from play. This card's effect is the same as the selected Spell Card.  
- Select 1 Spell Card from your Deck and place it on top of your opponent's Deck. Both Decks are then shuffled.

Armageddon Tornado  
Normal Spell  
This card can only be activated whilst your opponent controls a face-up monster. Destroy all cards on the field and inflict 500 points of damage to you're opponent for every monster that was destroyed by this effect. You cannot Summon or Set a monster for a number of turns equal to the number of monsters destroyed on your opponent's side of the field.


	18. Chapter 18 Broken Bonds

Apologies to the people who read this fanfic for the major delay. Had a new job and prep for Xmas has taking a lot of my time. Hope you enjoy the next installment but its quite dialogue heavy.

Anyway , Enjoy Chapter 18!

Location: Domino Town Centre

It was coming to an hour after the conclusion of the duel between Ryusei and Hayate. The weather was still cloudy but it had a slightly cooler feel to it than earlier today. Inside a small, quiet restaurant was the girl who has been watching Ryusei since the tournament began. She was sitting on a table at the corner with a cup of tea in her hand, seemingly waiting to meet someone. She sipped her tea and placed it down on the saucer, and then started to tap the table with her finger. She was getting impatient for some reason as she looked at her thin, gold watch which said '2:48'. She sighed and then picked up her cup to have some more tea. After putting down her cup for the second time her phone rang. She looked at the phone to see who it was and then answered it.

"Hi" she answered. A woman's voice could be heard from the other end of the phone. The voice replied back by asking in a serious manner,

"Where are you?"

"I'm in Domino at the moment. I was supposed to meet some guy here but since he's late, his chance has gone. Anyway, what's up?"

"It has begun."

The girl's eyes began to widen in realisation of what the woman was talking about. She then quickly settled down and asked,

"When did this happen?"

"Not too long ago, but what is important is that we must move quickly."

"I'm guessing that we're moving onto the next stage then."

"Yes."

"When do you want it to happen?"

"As soon as possible,"

"I'll let you know when it's done."

"Very well, but remember, they must come, by any means necessary."

"…I understand."

**Chapter 18-Broken Bonds**

Location: Domino General Hospital

At the same time that the phone conversation took place; Vanessa, Shinji and Kazuma were all inside the hospital. They were sitting inside a patient's room, with worried faces as they saw Ryusei lying on a plain white bed. He was completely still while hooked onto a monitor, measuring his heart rate. Shortly after the monitor made a few cycles of steady beeping, someone came and knocked on the door. All three turned around to see it was Yuji.

"Hey," he said softly "How's he doing?"

"Honestly, we don't know." Kazuma replied.

"The doctor didn't tell us much as we're not next of kin, but they've contacted Ryusei's uncle and he's on his way." Shinji followed afterwards.

"We've been told not to worry, but since we've arrived here, he hasn't woken up." Vanessa finished off the topic in a saddened tone.

Yuji sighed with an expression of disappointment as he hoped to hear more positive news. He then went into his right trouser pocket and pulled out a set of two keys. As he handed them to Kazuma he said,

"These are the keys to Ryusei's bike; Kai and I managed to bring both the bikes here."

"Yeah, thanks for that." Kazuma responded.

"Where is Hayate?"

"He's in the next room."

"How is he doing?"

"See for yourself."

Yuji walked out of the room and headed down the corridor for a short time. As he approached the next room he saw a nurse just leaving the room. He peaked inside and saw Hayate sitting up on his bed, staring into space. Yuji knocked on the door to get Hayate's attention, which succeeded. Hayate signalled for him to enter and Yuji obliged by walking in.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"The doctor said that my body was just overworked. All I need to do is rest for a couple of days and I'll be fine."

"That's good then, by the way, these are yours."

Yuji handed over the keys to Hayate's bike.

"Thanks,"

After the keys were handed over there was an awkward silence for a short time. Yuji then glanced at Hayate's right arm and saw his tattoo, as clear as day. Yuji was curious on Hayate's take on the events earlier so he broke the silence by asking.

"Hayate, do you remember what happened?"

"You mean do I remember seeing those dragons come out from nowhere? I must admit I've never seen anything like that before."

"Yeah, that was pretty intense. But things like that don't happen out of nothing. Do you remember anything else?"

"Not really, I remember a big white light when the dragons clashed. Everything after that is a blackout until you woke me up."

It was after this was said that Yuji realised that Hayate had no memory of what happened after the light subsided, when the duel took a more dangerous turn.

"I see," Yuji responded. "That's all I wanted to know. I'll head out to let you get some rest."

As Yuji turned around and was about to walk out of the room, he felt a hand grab his arm. As he turned to look, he noticed Hayate had grabbed his arm, stopping him from leaving as he wanted to ask him something.

"Yuji, I need to know something before you go." Hayate said in a low, serious tone.

"What is it?"

"Who won the duel?"

"Why do you need to know that? What's more important is you focusing on your recovery."

"Please Yuji." Hayate replied with a determined look on his face. "I need to know who won."

Yuji sighed as a sign of giving into his request and explained to him what happened.

"Fine, I will tell you what happened. I believe you activated Spell Misgivings. Therefore, you paid half your Life Points to use the same effect of a Spell in your Graveyard."

"That was the last play I remember making."

"Yeah, well…after the blinding light vanished…"

**_FLASHBACK_**

**_HAYATE: "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!! I will END YOU!! I use the effect of this Spell, ARMAGEDDON TORNADO!!"_**

"…You used the effect of Armageddon Tornado. With that you would have destroyed all the monsters on the field. Then you would have dealt Ryusei 500 points of damage for each monster destroyed. With two monsters being destroyed by this card's effect, Ryusei would have taken 1000 points of damage. Therefore, playing that card would have made you victorious."

Hayate breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the news and a little smile appeared on his face.

"However," Yuji continued, surprising Hayate. "In response to that…"

**_FLASHBACK_**

**_RYUSEI: "I WILL PROTECT ALL OF YOU!! EVEN IF IT MEANS I'M PUTTING MYSELF ON THE LINE!! ACTIVATE SACRIFICAL GAIN!!"_**

"…Ryusei activated a Trap called Sacrificial Gain."

"Sacrificial Gain? I've never heard of it."

"It's a rare but powerful Trap Card. It allows Ryusei to pay half of his Life Points to negate the effect of your card. Then as a bonus, he can destroy one monster and his opponent takes damage equal to half of that monster's ATK points."

Hayate was shell shocked by the news. His eyes were wide open in disbelief, and his face began to turn pale as he started to feel ill inside.

"But…….that means I…that I…"

"Interpret it how you want," Yuji said in a cool manner. "Some would say that Ryusei won with 100 Life Points to spare due to that Trap. Others would say it wouldn't count since Ryusei passed out while trying to activate it, so you would be the winner."

"I lost…I…lost? To that bastard?! Again?!"

Hayate began clenching his fists in anger. Especially as it now dawned on him that his chance of becoming a pro duellist was most certainly gone. Yuji then decided that now was his cue to leave and headed out of the room. As soon as Yuji closed the door, Hayate slammed his fist against his bed.

Hayate: ("I can't believe I lost to him, again! How could I let that opportunity slip away? I can't believe…I let it slip.")

After thinking for a little bit longer he calmed down and lied back on his bed, staring at the ceiling with a look of depression painted on his face.

In the next room, where the others were still waiting for some news, Ryusei's body slightly moved. This caught Vanessa's attention so she got up to have a closer look. Ryusei then gradually opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Vanessa standing over him.

"Vanessa?" he asked quietly.

"At last you're awake!" she replied, completely relieved to see Ryusei awake. "We've been worried sick about you!"

Ryusei closed and opened his eyes repetitively until he felt fully awakened. He then raised himself slowly to a sitting position on the bed. This is when he noticed Kazuma and Shinji were in the room as well.

"Hey," he said to them in a low toned voice.

"How are you feeling Ryusei?" Kazuma asked immediately.

"I feel like crap, but I'm okay I guess. However…"

As he looked around the room and looked at his clothes (dressed in white from top to bottom) he knew he was somewhere unfamiliar. He then saw that he was hooked on to the monitor to his right. At this point he realised where he was.

"What is going on? Why am I in a hospital?"

"You passed out while you were duelling Hayate." Shinji answered. "Don't you remember what happened?"

Ryusei closed his eyes to cast his mind back to the duel. He started to remember what happened up to the point where those two dragons appeared. However, he thought it would be best not to mention that, since he didn't know the meaning of their appearance. So he answered Shinji's question by saying.

"I don't know; my memory is a bit hazy."

"What is the last thing you remember?" Kazuma asked.

"The last thing I remember………was just that intense light that shot up in front of me. Everything else after that is a blur."

Due to Ryusei's pause before he answered Kazuma's question, Vanessa was almost certain that Ryusei was not being completely honest about his memory, amongst other things.

"Ryusei, why are you hiding things from us?"

"What are you talking about?"

"We've known you for quite a while now and recently you been acting weirdly."

"No I haven't."

"Yes you have! Ever since the tournament final you've been acting like there's a big weight on your shoulders. What is going on with you?"

"Nothing is going on Vanessa, everything is fine."

Vanessa's blood started to boil due to Ryusei's constant disregard of the subject matter.

"No it's not fine!" Vanessa snapped, surprising Ryusei.

"Calm down Vanessa." Shinji said, but to no avail.

"I won't calm down! We have been waiting here; worried sick about whether you were gonna wake up or not! All because of this stupid macho attitude to see who's better!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that Ryusei. For some reason, you and Hayate were duelling like your lives depended on it, and for what?!"

Ryusei kept silent, firstly in admittance that Vanessa was telling the truth. But also he couldn't give a real reason as to why it was imperative for him to win. He knew he just had to win.

"I can't answer that."

"Fine, then answer this! What kind of person has a tattoo on their arm that glows?!"

Ryusei was stunned after hearing this question. He always thought that it was invisible to others due to no one noticing it before, especially after showing it to Hiro. He looked at his arm, as Vanessa expected to hear an answer from him.

"I can't answer that either, however, you are right Vanessa, something has been going on recently. But as much as I want to tell you what is happening, I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because even I don't know what's happening to me."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I've noticed some things as well, ranging from intense dreams to this thing on my arm. But I can't talk about it if I have no understanding of its meaning, and I can't ask for your help if I don't know what I need help for. I know it's not what you wanted to hear but it's the best answer I can give you, until I figure this out on my own."

Vanessa softened her stance after hearing this from Ryusei. At which point, a frustrated Shinji picked up where Vanessa left off and continued the tirade on Ryusei.

"Why do you have to do it on your own?"

"Pardon?"

"You're always there to help us when we need it, but when it comes to your turn you always want to deal with everything by yourself."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is Ryusei! You always go out of your way to help us, but you never let us help you!"

"If I have a problem I shouldn't drag you into it, it's as simple as that."

"Friends are supposed to help you with your problems. Or were you too busy trying to become a martyr to realise that?

"Huh?"

"Shinji! Why did you say that?" Vanessa asked, completely taken aback by Shinji's attitude to Ryusei as she's never seen him like this before.

"I'll tell you why. During the duel with Hayate you said that you would protect us from anything, even if it meant sacrificing yourself!"

Ryusei eyes widened as a reaction to Shinji's statement. Even though he was surprised at hearing this as he had no recollection of saying it. Deep down, it wasn't an overwhelming shock due to personal reasons.

"I said that?"

"Yes you did, Ryusei." Vanessa answered in a low tone. "But when you said it, you seemed different. Your eyes were so cold and heartless, like you would do anything necessary to achieve your goal, and that scared me."

"Vanessa,"

"That's why it so frustrating when you keep brushing things aside. When you say everything is okay when they are clearly not. All we are doing is trying to help you, and you won't let us."

"Which also begs the question, why would you say something like that Ryusei? Why would you go so far for others and not for yourself?"

After listening intently to the conversation, Kazuma reminded himself about how things were left with Hayate. He decided he wanted to sort out their problems once and for all so everyone can move forward from this day.

"I'll leave this conversation between the three of you. There is something I got to do." He announced before he left Ryusei's keys at a table and went out the door.

Ryusei kept silent for the entire time, head down, and thinking how to answer that question in a way that Vanessa and Shinji would understand. In the end, the only answer he could find was a truthful one.

"I apologise for saying such a thing to worry you. However, if there was a reason as to why I said it, it is probably because it is true."

"Say that again?!" Vanessa said in shock of Ryusei's revelation.

"Because it's true; if it needed to be done I would do it."

"Why? Why would you do something like that?"

Ryusei paused for a while as the images of two car accidents flashed before his eyes. One was a head on collision and the other was a crash into a brick wall. He lied back down on his bed with his hands on the back of his head.

"It's a long story."

"Ryusei," Vanessa said softly. "We are just trying to understand that's all. But we can't do that unless you talk to us. Please Ryusei; tell us what's going on?"

Ryusei sighed and rose up from his bed again. He looked into the eyes of Shinji and Vanessa and felt that they are not going to let this go until they know the truth. But he also felt their genuine desire to help a friend, so he slowly started to open up.

"I suppose everything kind of started eight years ago."

"Eight years ago? What happened back then?" Shinji asked intriguingly.

Ryusei then looked out the window as the sky was turning a darker grey, displaying its vengeful clouds.

"July 25th 2001, was the day that my parents died."

Both Vanessa and Shinji's eyes widened in horror when they heard those words come from Ryusei's mouth. Their bodies were frozen in disbelief, as they tried to come to terms with Ryusei's statement, with a wonder of what it would be like for them if their parents suffered the same fate.

Outside the next room was Kazuma. He was staring at the door which led into Hayate's room, fighting within himself whether to go in or not. After deciding to go in, he then took a deep breath and with determination, he knocked on the door and entered inside the room. Hayate, now at a sitting position on the hospital bed, saw that it was Kazuma that entered the room. He immediately averted his eyes and gave him a hostile reception.

"What do you want?" he asked in a cold fashion.

"Hey, I came here to check if you were okay."

"Whatever." Hayate replied, whilst folding his arms.

Kazuma knew as soon as he stepped in that room that he wouldn't be welcome here and his suspicions were proven right. As much as he wanted to give up and leave, he was determined to clear the air once and for all.

"Hayate, this can't go on any longer. We've were friends for so long and somehow it deteriorated. I don't know about you but I really want to sort this out, as there is so much animosity between us."

Hayate had no reaction to what Kazuma said but he was listening intently in what he would say next.

"I'm hoping you feel the same as me about this. But before we can put this behind us and move on I must know what I've done wrong. What did I do that was so bad that we can't fix this?"

Hayate deeply sighed and stayed muted as he didn't really want to answer his question. But then he broke his silence by saying,

"You really don't remember do you? And you're asking me to relive that moment again."

"I'm sorry Hai, but I need to know."

Hayate paused for a while, deliberating whether he should tell him what happened. As he was thinking about it, the image of a beautiful girl flashed before his eyes. It was at that moment that Hayate finally opened up.

"18th November 2006. That was the day of Taka's party." he said in a very low tone.

Kazuma's eyes widened in shock as he knew instantly what possibly could be the reason why the two of them fell out.

"You mean…"

"Yeah, I knew as soon as it happened."

_FLASHBACK-3 years ago_

_Location: South Sapporo High School_

_It was around late afternoon on a chilly day in November. As school ended the main hall was busy as students were walking to their lockers or leaving the school. At the most central batch of lockers on the left hand wall was a younger Hayate (aged 16). He was wearing his school uniform of a white long sleeve shirt, orange tie, charcoal grey trousers and black shoes. He held his blazer over his shoulder which was black with thin orange stripes as he couldn't stand wearing it generally. As he finished putting some books in his bag, he closed the locker and as he turned around he saw Kazuma standing in front of him, making him jump._

_"Don't do that, man!"_

_"Sorry, couldn't help it" he chuckled._

_Kazuma was wearing the same uniform as Hayate but he wore a long black jacket over his shirt instead of his blazer, as he too hated wearing it._

_"Anyway, you coming tomorrow night?" he asked._

_"Coming to what?"_

_"Don't tell me you don't know what's happening tomorrow?"_

_"If I knew, I wouldn't have asked would I?"_

_"Tomorrow is Taka's party. His parents are away for the weekend so he's holding a big party tomorrow night."_

_"How about that, I take it you're the guest of honour."_

_"I wouldn't say that."_

_"Come on man, you're the big guy on campus. You're Mr. Popular here."_

_As soon as he said that, two girls from the same year walked by, each giving a big smile to Kazuma._

_"Hi, Kazuma." They said in unison._

_"Girls, what's happening?"_

_"Are you coming to the party tomorrow?" one of them asked._

_"That depends, are you two going?"_

_Both girls nodded as they walked past them._

_"Well then I might see you there."_

_The two girls smiled at him as they headed off outside._

_Hayate looked at him in a way that expressed how he was right about Kazuma's popularity._

_"Okay, maybe you're not far off your theory."_

_"That's another thing I don't get about you. Almost every girl in our year likes you, yet you haven't got with any of them, an opportunity to have any girl you wanted and you haven't taken it. Now why is that?"_

_"None of them have what I'm looking for in a girl."_

_"And what are you looking for in a girl?"_

_"You should mind your own business. Anyway, are you coming or not."_

_"Coming to what?" A girl's voice asked._

_As Hayate and Kazuma turned to look another girl from their year walked up to them. She was slightly shorter than Hayate but was highly attractive. She had long wavy dark brown hair reaching her lower back, soft brown eyes and was wearing the uniform (white blouse, charcoal grey skirt, black shoes, and the black/orange blazer)._

_"Hey" Hayate said softly as he put his arm around her. The girl then softly kissed Hayate on the lips as her way to greet him._

_"Hey," she replied back in a similar tone. "Hi, Kazuma,"_

_"Hi,"_

_"What are you guys talking about?"_

_"Just some party that's happening tomorrow, that's all." Hayate replied._

_"Taka's party right?" the girl asked._

_"Yeah, you knew about it?"_

_"Of course I did, I should be asking how you could not know about it?"_

_"Must have slipped past me somehow, I take it you're going then?"_

_"Yeah, and I expect to see you there also. Are you coming Kazuma?"_

_Kazuma paused for a while, as he accidentally gazed into the girl's eyes. There was a sense of mutual but unwanted attraction between the two as they looked at each other's eyes._

_"Yeah, I'll be there." He answered, after snapping out of his gaze._

_"Okay, I got to go but I will see you tomorrow." She said as she gave Hayate a prolonged, goodbye kiss._

_"Bye." She said softly._

_"Bye, Yuuka" Kazuma followed._

_As she walked out of the school, both Kazuma and Hayate watched her leave._

_"I must admit, you got a good one there Hai. Is it a year now?"_

_"It was a year together last month. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think I'm in love with her."_

_"Yeah? That's a good thing bro, you should hold onto her."_

_"Yeah, anyway I gotta head off so I'll see you at Taka's tomorrow."_

_"All right, see you later bro."_

_Hayate headed out of the school while Kazuma looked down, with a sense of guilt seen on his face._

_Location: Taka's House, Sapporo_

_It was the following evening, Saturday 18th November, 10pm. It was a crisp evening with a generally clear night sky. Hayate, now wearing dark blue jeans, white t-shirt and a navy blue jacket was walking up to Taka's house. The house itself was quite large as Taka's parents although were not rich, had a comfortable lifestyle. The music got louder as he headed towards the house. He saw a few colleagues outside and said a quick hi before going inside. As he went inside the place was quite crowded. Almost every person in his school year was there, chatting and dancing. As he looked around he eyes caught on Yuuka (wearing very dark brown trousers, purple jumper and brown shoes), sitting on a sofa with a group of girls. He walked towards that area and eventually, Yuuka saw him approaching. She jumped off the sofa and went to greet Hayate with a hug and a kiss._

_"Hey you, I'm glad to see you here."_

_"Well I can never disappoint you can I? Anyway, where is…"_

_Before Hayate could finish his sentence Kazuma walked into the place, wearing black trousers and shoes, with a brown shirt underneath his jacket. As he entered he more or less had to greet everyone in the house, since everyone wanted to say hi to him. That was one of the prices of being popular. After finally greeting everyone he eventually made it to Hayate._

_"What's up Hai," he said as the two clapped hands together._

_"I'm good man, so what you think so far?"_

_"Party seems good so far, but I'm gonna try and make it a memorable night. So you two enjoy yourselves!!" he announced as he headed back into the crowd. Hayate chuckled at him afterwards and let go of Yuuka as he went to talk with a few friends._

_It was now 1.45am. The party was winding down as quite a few people had already left the place. There were a few students who were drunk and sleeping on chairs and some were still chatting away. Kazuma entered the kitchen and opened the fridge to get a beer. He then went to the cupboard in the left corner of the kitchen to grab a glass and poured some of the beer into it. At this moment a slightly tipsy Yuuka walked in._

_"Hey," she said softly._

_"Hey," Kazuma replied._

_"I didn't get the chance to talk to you tonight."_

"Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

_"I'm gonna be honest Kazuma, I know that you like me."_

_"Isn't that obvious? If I didn't I wouldn't be your friend." He chuckled as he took a sip of his beer._

_"That's not what I meant; you want me to be yours don't you?"_

_Kazuma froze for a moment but then tried to change the subject quickly._

_"You're obviously drunk, Yuuka. You don't know what you're saying."_

_"I know you want me Kazuma. You've wanted me ever since you laid eyes on me, no matter how much you've tried to hide it." She walked up closer to Kazuma, making him feel uncomfortable._

_"And the truth is…" she stepped closer until her body was pressed against his. She then gently placed her hand on Kazuma's cheek. "I want you too."_

_At that moment Hayate got up from a chair and headed towards the kitchen to get a drink._

_Kazuma looked deeply into Yuuka's eyes, and then in a brief moment of weakness, they passionately kissed each other. As soon as their lips were locked in a moment of raw, forbidden passion, Hayate walked into the kitchen seeing everything that was happening. He was heartbroken to what he had witnessed and immediately left the kitchen and stormed out of the house, confusing some of the students in the living room. Kazuma then broke off the kiss by pushing Yuuka away, surprising her._

_"I can't do this." He said._

_"But…"_

_"But nothing Yuuka. Hayate is my best friend, you're his girlfriend. So I can't do this, no matter how much I want to, I just can't."_

Yuuka then realised her mistake and was racked with guilt. Kazuma felt a deep sense of regret to what he had done. He thought it was only fair if Hayate knew the truth to what had happened just now so was heading towards the living room.

_"Are you going to tell him?" Yuuka asked. Kazuma then turned around and answered confidently._

_"Yeah, he has a right to know."_

_"You can't tell him, it will break his heart!"_

_"He needs to know, I can't lie to him about this!"_

_"But he doesn't need to know! Yes, we made a mistake, a big one that we shouldn't have made. But telling him that will not make things any better, it will make things worse. So please Kazuma, just leave it for now."_

_Kazuma was deliberating whether to follow her request but as he looked into her sorrowful eyes, he decided to accept it and try to move on._

_"Okay, I won't."_

"So you knew all this time?" Kazuma asked Hayate back at the hospital.

"Yeah,"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why didn't you?"

Kazuma was unable to respond to Hayate's question as he couldn't give a justifiable answer.

"The fact is that you should have told me what happened. I gave you both plenty of opportunities and you lied to my face again and again!"

"I wanted to tell you, as soon as it happened. But Yuuka didn't want to see you get hurt."

"It was a little late for that! It's bad enough you betray me by kissing my girlfriend, and not telling me about it. But the worst thing was that of all the guys there, it had to be _you_."

"What does that suppose to mean?"

"I may have been your friend back at school Kazuma but the truth is that I envied you."

"You envied me? Why?"

"You were the big guy on campus! The one that everyone loved, the one that all the girls wanted! That's the guy I wanted to be! You had everything back then and I envied you for it. But I kept my feelings in check and was glad to be your friend as I thought you were a pretty decent guy,"

Kazuma was in shock as he never realised Hayate felt that way back then.

"The one thing that I had away from you was Yuuka, and still you had to take her away from me. Out of all the girls you could have had back then, you had to take her, and I hate you for it."

"Hayate,…I"

"I know you're sorry." Hayate interrupted in a calmer tone. "And I know she's sorry and you both wish you can go back and change it. But the fact is that you were my best friend, my most trusted friend and you betrayed. For that reason, I can't forgive you for what you done. I just can't."

At this point Kazuma decided to give up. He realised that his actions on that night, shaped Hayate to the ruthless, goal orientated person he is today. He also figured out that this friendship is highly unlikely to be salvaged. So he slowly turned around and headed out of Hayate's room. Hayate took a deep breath and lied back onto his bed, while Kazuma rested against the wall outside Hayate's room.

Kazuma: ("I'm truly sorry Hayate for what I did. I wish I could turn the clock back but I can't. You may not consider me a friend anymore but I consider you as one so I'm gonna try and make it up to you, no matter how long it takes. I'll make it up to you so that one day, you will find it in your heart to forgive me.")

Back in Ryusei's room, Vanessa and Shinji were still in shock from Ryusei's revelation.

"Your parents died?" Vanessa asked, still in disbelief.

"I was ten years old when it happened. We were all driving to the airport to go on holiday when unfortunately a drunk driver, lost control of his car and swerved into our lane. It was a head on crash which I was the only survivor……somehow."

"Ryusei."

"After that, I moved to Osaka to live with my Grandmother. But it took me years to get over the death of my parents. I became very quiet and reserved, bottling up all my emotions inside. But then, I met Sousuke."

"Who's Sousuke?" Shinji asked.

Ryusei started to remember a guy. He was young (aged about 15) and stood at a similar height to Ryusei, if not slightly shorter. He had sharp brown eyes with short and spiky dark brown hair. He wore grey tracksuit bottoms, trainers, a white t-shirt and a grey hooded jacket.

"He was…a friend of mine, quite some time ago." He then hanged his head when he was about to start talking about his past. "Back when I was a bit of a rebel."

"That's nothing to be ashamed about. We all go through a rebel phase. It's what we teenagers do."

"Except that I'm not talking about playing loud music and ignoring parents. Sousuke and I rebelled against authority. We would steal, fight, vandalise, play truant. Anything we could think of that we would get away with."

Both Shinji and Vanessa were quite stunned in learning about Ryusei's past. They found it really hard to imagine he was capable of doing these things.

"Why? Why would you do such horrible things?"

"Sousuke and I, we had a bad hand in life. I lost my parents and was so angry that the people that were most precious to me were taken away. Even though my Grandmother tried her best, she could never fill the void that was left behind. Doing these crimes were a way of releasing the anger, hate and despair I suffered for all these years. As for Sousuke, he was shipped from one foster home to the next. Never had the chance at real family life and always felt like an outcast. So to put it simply, we were angry. Life screwed us over so we were here saying to the world, screw you too, we are taking our vengeance."

Vanessa and Shinji just didn't know how to react let alone what to say to what Ryusei had just said. They were stunned into a complete silence by the disclosure of Ryusei's past, unable to do anything. Ryusei then deeply sighed and he lay back down on his bed.

"However," he continued. "One night we made a big mistake and we paid dearly for it."

"What…did u do?" Vanessa asked tentatively, worried abut the answer she would get.

_"We thought it would be a great idea to go joyriding. So we broke into some guy's car and hot wired it to take it for a spin. However…"_

_FLASHBACK-3 years ago_

_Location: Osaka_

_It was 11:15pm, on a brisk night in mid-October. The streets of Osaka were generally quiet which was unusual for that time of day. The night was peaceful with a very still atmosphere surrounding the area. Suddenly, this stillness was broken by the loud roar of a car engine that sped through the streets. Inside the blue saloon car was Ryusei, who was driving and Sousuke, having the time of their lives as they raced through Osaka._

_"This is so awesome!!" Sousuke exclaimed._

_"Yeah, tell me abut it!" Ryusei shouted back._

_Soon their joy would turn to anxiety as they heard sirens coming from a car behind them. A police car started pursuing them and signalled for the guys to stop and pull over._

_"Shit, police!" Sousuke announced._

_"They are not catching us!" Ryusei declared as he shifted gears and increased his speed._

_In response the police car increased his as a pursuit began. Ryusei started to take some sharp turnings to try and shake the police off them but to no avail. He made another sharp left turning which gave them a bit of breathing space from the police. Both Sousuke and Ryusei looked back to see if they managed to lose the police. However, as Sousuke looked forward again, he noticed an old man was in the middle of the road, crossing slowly to the other side._

_"RYUSEI, WATCH OUT!!" he shouted._

_Ryusei turned forward and saw the old man, realising he was about to run him over. He jerked the wheel, causing the car to narrowly miss the old man. But because of that, he lost control of the car. As he tried to regain control of it the car ended up clipping the kerb. Ryusei and Sousuke screamed as the car was sent flying into the air and ended up crashing into a wall._

_In the aftermath of the crash, Ryusei groaned in pain, as he slowly pushed the airbag away from his face._

_"Sousuke," he whispered. "You okay man."_

_He then looked next to him and saw Sousuke was unconscious, bleeding from his face, his legs trapped within the car. Ryusei's eyes widened in horror in the realisation to the condition Sousuke were in."_

_"Sousuke!! Sousuke hang on, SOUSUKE!!"_

"Did…he die?" Shinji asked, scared to know the answer.

"Luckily Sousuke survived the crash. However, he was paralysed from the waist down with no chance of walking again."

"Ryusei, I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't have to apologise, besides it was my fault it happened. If I never took that car, then that wouldn't have happened."

"You can't blame yourself for that. Unfortunately these things do happen. If it wasn't that crash, then something else would have happened down the road." Vanessa said in a attempt to stop Ryusei from blaming himself.

"But I'm responsible for what happened. I wrecked Sousuke's life; I hurt my grandmother so much that she didn't want anything to do with me. All I did was cause pain and destruction to me and everyone around me. Which is why, when Hiro took me in after a stint at a Correction Centre, I made a promise to myself."

"What was that?"

"A promise to protect those I care about the most, no matter what the cost. As I can't go through the pain of losing someone close to me again, I've already done it more than once so I refuse to go through it again. I will not let it happen."

There was a silence in the room as Vanessa and Shinji took in everything they've just heard. Vanessa then broke the silence by giving her view.

"Ryusei, I understand why you feel the need to protect others. But the fact is, despite the nobility of your cause, you can't protect everyone. There are some things that happen that you just can't control."

"True, but that doesn't mean that I won't try."

"Then who would be protecting you, Ryusei?" Shinji asked.

"What?"

"Do you think we won't do anything to stop you from getting hurt also? You're an important friend to us Ryusei, that's why we want to help you in whatever you're going through right now. But you have to trust us, Ryusei."

Ryusei paused for a while and then a little smile appeared on his face.

"You're right Shinji, and I'm sorry for worrying you. Even though I haven't been a good friend lately, I promise to be a better one now."

Vanessa and Shinji smiled at Ryusei's statement, which made Ryusei smile again, after finally clearing the air.

A little while later, Ryusei was laying on the hospital bed with his hands behind his head. He was on his own as Vanessa, Shinji and Kazuma all stepped out to get something to eat. He suddenly heard a knock on the door to the room, which he called for the person to enter. He raised himself up as he expected to see Vanessa and the others back from their meal. However, it actually turned out to be Hayate who walked in. he stood at the foot of the bed as their eyes locked in a deep stare. Hayate then broke the silence by saying.

"I'm just going to ask this once. Do you know what this is?" Hayate raised his right arm to show Ryusei the tattoo he had. A stunned Ryusei replied.

"That tattoo! You have it too?" he then looked at his arm, which Hayate could also see and it had the same tattoo as he did.

"It's not a tattoo, you know?" A voice announced.

Ryusei and Hayate turned to the doorway and saw that it was the girl who has been watching Ryusei, standing at the doorway.

"I know you." Hayate said curiously.

"You do?" Ryusei asked.

"Yeah, she was the girl that Yuri tried to hit on."

"Many guys have tried to hit on me; however, I always seem to be too good for them."

"Who are you?" Ryusei demanded.

"Ryusei, still straight to the point as usual, how can we get to know each other if you can't hold a conversation? Let me guess, you still don't trust me?"

"Why should I trust someone who hasn't even told me their name?"

The girl smiled at Ryusei and then said in response,

"Tanya,"

"Tanya?"

"That's my name."

As Vanessa arrived back at the hospital, she headed to Ryusei's room and started to overhear the conversation. She then kept hidden and placed her ear on the wall to hear what they were talking about.

"So Tanya, what do you want with me?"

"Actually it's not just you, I need both of you."

"Come again?" Hayate said.

"What do you need us for?" Ryusei followed.

"If you want to know," she answered in an enticing manner, as she put her hand in her back pocket. "Come to this place in a couple of days." She pulled a business card from her pocket and gave it to Hayate.

"The Atrium?"

"Be there at 2pm sharp, two days from now."

"Why should we trust you?"

"Because if you don't go you will never know what those marks on your arms mean."

"What do you know abut this thing?! Hayate snapped.

"Not enough to answer your question properly. However someone at that location does. So be there, if you want your questions answered."

She began to head out of the room as Ryusei and Hayate watched her with a untrustworthy vibe. She then stopped at the doorway and said this with a cheeky smile before stepping out.

"Oh, and try not to duel each other again, we don't want those dragons appearing again now do we?"

"Wait a sec!" Ryusei exclaimed as he tried to get out of bed, but Hayate stopped him.

"Ciao!" Tanya said before stepping out of the door, closing it behind her.

When she stepped out she saw Vanessa standing there, with serious eyes. Tanya shrugged it off and just walked past her, taking no notice of Vanessa.

Vanessa: ("She knows more than she's letting on.")

"Why did you stop me?" Ryusei asked.

"Because she would not tell us anymore information even if we caught up to her. The simple thing is that if we want to know what's going on, we have to go to this place. Whether we would like to or not."

Hayate flicked the business card so that it landed on Ryusei's lap. As he looked at the location details, he then looked at the mark on his arm and thought to himself.

Ryusei: ("Two days. Maybe then I can get the answers that I'm looking for.")

End of Chapter

Preview (tbc): Ryusei heads to the Atrium and upon arrival is surprised to see Ayaka, Kasumi and Yuji there. When they enter the Atrium they are greeted by a mysterious woman called Vydia, who requests for their help. Meanwhile, Vanessa and Shinji follow Tanya in an attempt to find out more about what is happening with Ryusei. After an interrogation which yielded no results. Tanya then promises to tell them everything she knows if Vanessa and Shinji can beat her in a duel.

Chapter 19-Legend Of A Guardian (tbc)

ORIGINAL CARDS

Armageddon Tornado  
Normal Spell  
This card can only be activated whilst your opponent controls a face-up monster. Destroy all cards on the field and inflict 500 points of damage to you're opponent for every monster that was destroyed by this effect. You cannot Summon or Set a monster for a number of turns equal to the number of monsters destroyed on your opponent's side of the field.

Sacrificial Gain  
Counter Trap  
You can only activate this card when a card is activated to destroy a monster(s) on your side of the field. Pay half of your Life Points to negate the activation of that card and destroy it. Then, you can destroy 1 monster on the field and inflict damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to half of the ATK of the destroyed monster.


	19. Chapter 19 Legend Of A Guardian

New chapter done earlier than expected, hope you enjoy it!

Location: Domino Town Centre

It was two days after the result of the duel between Ryusei and Hayate. The sky was generally bright with a cool breeze, defining the spring season. Walking through a moderately busy town centre, heading towards the direction of the University was Kasumi. As she calmly walked through the streets, she pulled out her phone from her handbag to look at the time (13:50). As she put the phone back in her bag she heard the sound of a motorcycle slowing down towards her. As she looked round she saw the silver and black streaked bike park next to her, instantly recognising who it was.

"What do you want?" she asked callously.

As the rider lifted off his helmet, it turned out to be Yuji.

"I don't even get a friendly hello? Kasumi, I'm hurt." He replied in a jokey manner.

"You haven't answered my question."

"I saw you from a distance so I thought I'll come and see where you're headed."

"Why?"

"Well in case you didn't notice, I ride a bike. So jump on and I'll give you a lift."

"I'm fine walking."

"Sure you are. It's not that hard to accept a nice gesture you know, and if you're worried about safety then you can use my helmet."

Kasumi sighed tiresomely at Yuji's badgering on the subject so in the end, she just gave into him to keep him quiet.

"You are not going to let this go are you?"

"That depends on your answer."

"Fine," she answered as she got on Yuji's bike. "I'm heading to the Atrium."

"Why are you going there?"

"I received an invitation to a special duelling tournament involving some of the best duellists in Japan. The meeting point is at the Atrium at 2pm."

"Interesting, how come I wasn't invited?"

"Maybe it's because you're a crap duellist." she answered harshly as she put on Yuji's helmet.

"Heh, does that mean you're worse than me? Especially since I beat you the last time we faced off."

"That match was over a year ago."

"Yeah, but I've given you plenty of opportunities for a rematch. But for some reason you haven't taken a single one of them. Now why is that?"

Kasumi just stayed quiet as she fastened her helmet on and then put her arms around Yuji to hold on to him.

"Just go." She said coldly.

Yuji obliged by starting his engine and headed off towards the Atrium.

**Chapter 19-Legend Of A Guardian**

The time was now 1:58pm. Ryusei was approaching a large, modern building with a curved shaped roof. This building was the Atrium. It is based within Domino, away from the University Campus. However, the halls and theatres within the building are regularly booked by the University. It is mainly used for large scale lectures and conferences that entail a 500+ attendance. He walked up to the few steps that led to the entrance and then stopped. He looked at the large, glass entrance doors and started to feel uneasy. He was nervous as he knew what lay behind that door could answer the questions he has had since that mark appeared on his arm. But he doubted whether he was ready for those answers. He closed his eyes and stirred up some courage from within himself. He then opened his eyes and walked confidently up the stairs. Suddenly he saw Tanya just coming out of the entrance doors.

"I see that you made it in time." She said with a little smile at Ryusei.

"All right, I'm here now. So tell me what's going on?"

"Hold on tiger, you have to wait for the other guests to arrive."

"Other guests?" Ryusei asked; confused by what she meant.

Shortly afterwards, Ryusei heard a car pulling up in front of the building. He turned around to see it was a taxi. After an exchange of money took place, Ayaka was the person who stepped out of the taxi.

"Ayaka?" Ryusei said in disbelief.

Ayaka turned and was very surprised to see Ryusei present also.

"Ryusei, what are you doing here?" she asked as she walked up to join him.

"I was just about to…"

Before Ryusei could finish his sentence, he heard the roar of a motorbike approaching. As it entered the premise of the building, both Ryusei and Ayaka saw it was Yuji riding it, with Kasumi as a passenger. As Yuji parked the bike at the front of the building, Kasumi took her helmet off, glaring at Ryusei and Ayaka.

"Kasumi and Yuji too?" Ayaka said; perplexed to why they are here.

"What is going on here?" Ryusei boldly asked Tanya.

"Patience is a virtue you know. Besides, there's still one more." She replied as she looked at her watch.

As the watch turned from 1:59 to 2pm, everyone turned to as they heard another motorbike engine. The black Kawasaki roared into the premises and then immediately slowed down to park right next to Yuji's bike. As the rider lifted his helmet, it revealed Hayate with a stern look on his face.

As everyone looked at each other, it dawned on Yuji that it was all the participants of Hayate's tournament that were here.

"So what is this, a tournament rematch?" Yuji asked.

"What are you talking about?" Hayate replied back.

"Well everyone from your last tournament is here, and Kasumi told me she came here for a tournament that she was invited to."

"Trust me when I say I didn't come here for a tournament."

"I didn't either," Ayaka added. "I got an email saying that a biologist is holding a seminar here this afternoon."

Hayate, Yuji and Kasumi got off the bikes and walked up the steps to join Ryusei and Ayaka. They all turned to Tanya, looking for answers. But typical of Tanya, she just added to the mystery.

"Now that everyone is here, I'll take you to your meeting." She turned around and went inside the building.

The group were hesitant to go inside since none of them were sure what was going on. Hayate just shrugged it off and followed Tanya inside, shortly joined by Ryusei. The others then followed them inside. Inside the building was very professional, with marble flooring; sofas were on the right as a waiting area for people who are meeting certain individuals. Tanya walked past the reception which was located right in the middle of the ground floor and opened the double doors at the right hand side. The rest swiftly followed through the doors as she took them past some conference rooms and a few lecture halls. After what was quite a long walk through a hallway they eventually arrived at the very back of the building, Tanya stopped at a conference room named 'G-5'. The doors for this room were black in comparison to the others that were either glass or light brown. She entered the room and signalled for the others to enter. Inside was a professional, meeting room. What was inside was a grey carpet, white walls and a long grey table which could seat about twenty people. They were two chairs at each end of the table and nine on either side. At the top end of the table were cups and saucers and a teapot, releasing a small amount of steam from its spout in the middle.

"Please sit down." Tanya said pleasantly, which was different from how she usually acts.

The group went and sat at the top five chairs on either side of the table. On the left were Ryusei, Ayaka and Hayate. While on the right were Kasumi and Yuji. Tanya then the picked up the teapot and poured tea into everyone's cup. These actions left everyone wondering what this is really about.

"The meeting will start shortly, so in the mean time, have some tea and try to relax."

Tanya then placed the teapot back down at its place and headed out of the room. As soon as the door closed, Hayate broke the silence.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked.

"I don't know," Ayaka answered. "But it all feels a little weird."

"Yeah, this was definitely not what I expected."

"But I am interested to know, why are you and Ryusei here?" she asked as she looked at both of them.

Hayate folded his arms to form a defensive stance and show a refusal to explain himself. Ryusei then answered for both of their sakes,

"We are here for personal reasons." As he said this he picked up his cup and sipped some of his tea.

All of the others followed suit as they drank their tea, except for Yuji, who just pushed his tea to one side as he wasn't the biggest fan of tea.

As Tanya went outside of the building, she felt a vibration in her pocket. As she put her hand in, she picked up her phone and answered the call.

"Where are you going?" the voice on the phone said.

"I fancy a walk, that's all." She answered. "All of them are in 'G-5' so whenever you're ready I guess."

"Very well, I will see you soon."

Tanya hanged up the phone and headed out of the dormitory, towards the direction of the University.

Back at the conference room 'G-5', Ryusei and the others were patiently waiting for whatever was about to happen. Suddenly, the entrance door was opened. Everyone turned to look who it was and it turned out to be a young woman. She had a similar skin tone as Tanya but had shorter black hair which was held back by a hair band and reached her shoulders. She was slightly taller than Tanya and looked older, as in around her mid-twenties. She had dark brown eyes and wore a grey suit (blazer, white blouse, grey trousers) with black heeled shoes. She walked to the head of the table, with each step presenting a sense of authority. Everyone was watching silently as she sat down at the head of the table. After settling herself she then said to the group,

"Welcome, everyone"

As soon as she said that, Ryusei instantly recognised who she was.

"That voice, I know you from somewhere."

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Ryusei." The woman replied back

"Wait a sec! Are you…?"

"Yes, I am."

Ryusei's eyes were wide open in disbelief, after realising who she was.

"Who is she, Ryusei?" Ayaka asked him.

"She was the woman…in a dream I had."

"What?! In your dream?!"

"Correct. You have also felt my presence in your dreams Ayaka. You were just not fully aware of it."

After thinking about it, Ayaka had a weird feeling of familiarity with the woman.

"Come on, this is just a load of crap! You can't actually believe this!" Hayate exclaimed.

"Well…I've had really vivid dreams, where…I've seen a dragon…and a voice, warning me about something. Are you telling me that voice was you?"

"Yes."

"But how did you…?"

"That is not of your concern," the woman interrupted. "What's more important is why you are here."

"Then why don't you tell us why we're here?" an impatient Hayate stepped in.

"Firstly, there is no tournament here Kasumi, and Ayaka, there is no seminar. I created those events so I can get you two to come also."

"Then why are we here?" Kasumi asked coldly.

"My name is Vydia, and the reason you are all here is that fate has chosen you for a greater purpose."

"And what is that?"

"Ryusei, Hayate, Ayaka and Kasumi, you have all been chosen to prevent the events that will shatter the Earth's core. At this moment in time only you four can stop it."

"Stop what?" Ayaka questioned.

"The liberation."

Location: Domino University

Only minutes later, Tanya had arrived on a part of the University Campus. She continuously walked at a steady pace as she walked up to and past the Domino East Dorm. She decided to go through this way as it would be shorter than going round the campus to get to the town centre. As soon as she walked past the dorm she stopped and looked back. Since she saw nothing she carried on and thought nothing of it. But then she had to repeat this motion a few times, realising now that she was being followed. Pretending to be oblivious, she continued walking without turning back until she was in a wide open area. She found her area when she saw the football fields and started to head through there. But as soon as she started walking a voice called out.

"Stop right there!"

She turned around slowly and saw it was Vanessa and Shinji that were behind her.

"So it was you two that were following me?"

"Who is she Vanessa?" Shinji asked.

"She was the girl I saw at the hospital."

"The one who knew about the dragons?"

"Yeah, and she's gonna tell us everything she knows!" She demanded while pointing at Tanya.

Tanya just shrugged her shoulders and said,

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah you do! I overheard you talking to Ryusei in the hospital. You know more than you were telling him!"

"I have no recollection of the event in question." She answered seriously, but then gave a little smirk at Vanessa, which tipped Vanessa into anger mode.

"You're lying! I heard you! You knew about that weird tattoo also! Tell us what's going on or…"

"Or what?" Tanya interrupted, surprising Vanessa. "To be honest, it has none of your concern who or what I speak about. So to put it bluntly, it's none of your business."

"It is our business when our friends may be in trouble!" Shinji said with determination.

"That's very noble of you, but it doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't get involved in what you can't understand."

"That's it!" Vanessa shouted. "I've had enough of your cryptic crap! You are gonna tell us what's going on now, and if not I'll force it out of you!"

She activated her Duel Disk viciously and then Shinji followed in support of Vanessa. Tanya just sighed and said in reply,

"That's nice, are you just assuming I'm a duellist who's willing to take you on? And even if I was, I don't even have a Duel Disk."

"Yeah, well we came prepared just in case." Vanessa answered as she went to her bag. She then threw the Duel Disk which Tanya caught with no trouble.

"Fine, I'll take you both on at the same time, how you two perform will determine what I will tell you. So try not to bore me okay?" She said with a cheeky smile as she inserted her Deck into her Disk and activated it.

Tanya's cockiness angered Vanessa even more as she gritted her teeth to try and keep her cool, to no avail.

"You're going down!!"

"DUEL!!" everyone shouted to begin the match.

(Tanya-8000, Vanessa-4000, Shinj-4000)

"Now, I will give you two turns to defeat me, if you don't I will guarantee that you will lose." Tanya said with a cheeky grin.

"Whatever, I'll start!" announced Vanessa as she drew her card. "I summon Bountiful Artemis (1600/1700) in defense mode! I set two cards face down and end my turn. Your go Shinji."

"All right then," he said as he drew his card. "I summon Warrior Lady of the Wasteland (1100/1200) in defense mode! I end my turn after that."

"Really, is that it?" Tanya said in a disinterested manner. "I expected a lot more from you two, but anyway."

She drew her card gently and flipped it over. She gave a little smile and then played it.

"I summon Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat (1200/400)."

"Crystal what?" A puzzled Vanessa asked.

A pink stone appeared on the field and radiated many rays of its bright colour as it slowly morphed into its true form. The stone eventually became a pink panther, with a long tail and wearing a gold breast plate with an amethyst stone in the middle of it.

Shinji: ("I've never seen that before.")

"You're not really smart summoning a monster that isn't strong enough to destroy either of our monsters." Vanessa said, trying to take a cheap shot at Tanya's duelling skills.

"Unfortunately Vanessa, you can't see the bigger picture. Hence, why it would be pointless to tell you what's happening right now."

"What do you mean by that?!"

"Amethyst Cat's effect activates. By slicing her ATK in half I can attack one of you directly. So if you don't mind, my Cat will take a bite out of Vanessa."

Amethyst Cat (600/400) charged at Vanessa and leaped over her Artemis, following with a scratch across her chest.

LP: (8000/3400/4000)

"Are you okay, Vanessa?" Shinji asked after seeing her flinch.

"I'm fine, you'll live to regret that!"

Tanya gave a smile at Vanessa and then placed two cards face down.

"I end my turn with these face downs, you now have one turn left."

"Good!" Vanessa said in a frustrated tone as she began her turn. However, her frustration soon turned to joy as she saw the card she just drew.

"Looks like I will take you up on your one turn challenge; first I activate my Graceful Charity, so I draw three cards and discard two (Horn Of Heaven, Radiant Jeral)."

Looking at her new hand, she figured she could do a decent amount of damage to Tanya.

"I now release my monster to summon Airknight Parshath (1900/1400)! But that's not all; I now release my Parshath so that I can summon my ace monster, Neo Parshath-The Sky Paladin (2300/2000)!"

Vanessa's monster emitted a bright light before revealing a powerful warrior, with feathers replacing its legs and blue/gold armour on his chest. It was equipped with a sword and a blue/god shield and had a bright gold halo above its head.

"Neo Parshath, attack Amethyst Cat, with Divine Radiance!"

Neo Parshath's glided smoothly towards Tanya's side of the field. It then drew its sword and did a lightning quick slash, instantly destroying Amethyst Cat in a big explosion.

LP (6900/3400/4000)

"Your cat never stood a chance!" Vanessa celebrated.

"Really, well I beg to differ."

As the smoke cloud disappeared an amethyst stone became present on the field.

"What the hell?!" Vanessa exclaimed.

"What's going on?!" Shinji followed.

"When a Crystal Beast is destroyed, they go to my Spell and Trap Card Zone instead of the Graveyard."

Shinji: ("I've never heard of a deck type like this before. But I wonder why she wants them to remain on the field?")

"Due to Neo-Parshath inflicting damage I get to draw a card. I now activate Surge Of Radiance! Therefore, by releasing a Neo Parshath I control you take damage equal to its attack!" Neo Parshath transformed into a beam of light which shot out and struck Tanya in the chest, causing her to flinch.

LP (4600/3400/4000)

"I end my turn with a face down." Vanessa said with a smile, "All right Shinji, time to pick up where I left off!"

"With pleasure!" he replied as he drew his card. "I summon Marauding Captain (1200/400)! When he's summoned to the field, I can summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my hand! So I choose Tuner monster, Comrade Swordsman of Landstar (500/1200)!" A small smiley monster appeared with a purple attire and hat, equipped with a large sword and shield.

"I tune my Level 3 Comrade with my Level 3 Warrior Lady, to Synchro Summon Goyo Guardian (2800/2000)!"

A Japanese Kabuki style warrior appeared on the field. His face was painted white, and with a big smile, twirled his jutte weapon which was attached onto the end of a lariat.

"Goyo Guardian, attack Tanya directly!"

"I activate Crystal Raigeki. By sending a Crystal Beast from my Spell Zone to the Graveyard, I can destroy your monster."

"Don't think so, as I activate Dark Bribe!" Vanessa announced. "Because of my Trap, your card is negated and destroyed!"

Tanya drew her card from the effect of Dark Bribe as Goyo threw his lariat, striking Tanya.

LP (1800/3400/4000)

"Now Marauding Captain, follow up with your attack!"

The knight went and slashed Tanya across her chest as she went down to one knee.

LP (600/3400/4000)

"I end my turn with two face downs." He said confidently.

"Then I will activate Call Of The Haunted in Shinji's End Phase. So I can resurrect my Neo-Parshath (2300/2000)!"

As Vanessa's mighty monster was summoned back to the field, they both smiled as their teamwork has nearly given them the victory.

"It's your go Tanya,"

Tanya got up slowly and when she raised herself to standing position, she just smiled.

"I must admit I underestimated you two, you are a lot stronger than I had perceived. However, you have failed to beat me in two turns, so I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson."

"There is no way you can win in this turn!" Vanessa exclaimed.

Shinji: ("Yeah, besides I have Torrential Tribute face down, in case she summons a powerful monster. My other face down Call Of The Haunted will then bring back Goyo for a final attack next turn! We should be covered.")

Tanya just gave them a smile and drew her card sharply to begin her turn.

Location: The Atrium

Back at the 'G-5' conference room, Vydia was about to start explaining what she meant. However, Yuji jumped in with a question.

"What do you mean stop the liberation?"

"You are not in liberty to know as it doesn't apply to you. So I would like for you to leave this room immediately."

"Yuji stays where he is." Kasumi replied back, surprising Yuji as she's never defended him before.

"Whether you like it or not." She finished her point with a cold glare aimed at Vydia, but she was not intimidated by Kasumi.

"Fine," she replied. "Events are occurring which are signalling a change in the world's motion."

"What events?"

"Small things that you wouldn't have noticed. However, if left unchecked, an eternal darkness will fall, dramatically changing everything around us as we know it. Liberation usually means freedom for people; however this kind of liberation will instead cause chaos and despair instead of celebration."

Hayate started chuckling after hearing this.

"Is something funny, Hayate?" Vydia asked seriously.

"No offence lady, but all this sounds like a load of bullshit you would hear in a low budget fantasy movie."

"Hayate!" Ayaka exclaimed due to his rudeness and language.

"If that is what you think, then you are free to leave."

Hayate just got up thinking he wasted his time coming here, so he went to the door. As he placed his hand on the door handle, Vydia then asked him something.

"However, before you go, answer this question for me. Have you ever had a dream of a dragon?"

Hayate's eyes widened in shell shock, wondering how she knew this as he never told anyone.

"More specifically a red and black dragon, with tri horns, sharp blood red teeth, a blue tongue and a powerful roar that oozes destruction?"

Hayate turned around slowly, with his eyes still widened.

"How…did you know?"

Vydia just ignored Hayate's question and moved on.

"Whether you believe me or not the fact is that it's happening as we speak and it's getting to a point where it will be beyond our control. However, there is a force powerful enough to reverse the fate that has been handed to us."

"And what would that be?" Ayaka asked, trying to be as opened minded as possible.

"The Guardian Dragons,"

"The what?"

The rest of the table had perplexed faces as they had no idea what Vydia meant by this, except for Kasumi who was typically unfazed. Yuji was then the first to enquire.

"All right, I'll bite. What are Guardian Dragons?"

Vydia then put her hand underneath the table and pressed a button. The wall facing her had a projector screen descending down until it reached about a few feet from the floor. She went inside her blazer and pulled out a small ultra thin remote with a few buttons on it. She pointed the remote to the ceiling and pressed a button, switching on the overhead projector attached onto the ceiling. She then pressed another button which then displayed a picture on the screen. Everyone looked in amazement as they saw a picture of the globe, with five dragons (generally one white and sky blue, one red and black, one purple, one blue and one orange) circled around it. Also laid on top of the globe was the same mark on Ryusei's and Hayate arm, a dragon curved into the shape of infinity.

"Guardian Dragons have existed for many years, protecting anything and everything that would cause chaos and destruction. They have been the cornerstone to the world's survival in all the major battles that has happened to fall onto this land."

"If that was the case, wouldn't we have heard something about them in like history books?" A sceptical Ayaka asked.

"Just because some things weren't noted down in a book it doesn't mean that they never happened. I'm also surprised at your scepticism Ayaka, especially since you should recognise one of them."

Ayaka looked at the picture again and then noticed that the purple dragon looked exactly like the one in her dream.

"It…can't,"

"But it is; that dragon specifically is linked with the word 'prophecy'. It is believed that this dragon reverses the order of nature as a warning sign for any evil presence that comes to fruition."

Ayaka then remembered that her spotting of black roses around Domino was very abnormal in the flower's nature. She then figured that the dragon's body looked slightly similar to a black rose, so her scepticism started to disintegrate.

"How do you know about all this?" Ryusei asked.

"We all have our paths to walk Ryusei, and mine led me to them. You and Hayate however will have to walk a different path."

"How so?"

"You along with Hayate accepted your dragon. Therefore, you acknowledged your fate and the ties associated with. You know have no choice but to carry out your duty.

"Now, wait a minute!" An angrily Hayate interrupted, "I didn't sign up to anything, especially to all this nonsense!"

"You of all people should know that if a deal is too good to be true that it probably is. The fact is Hayate that you willingly accepted the Guardian Dragon because you sensed its power and desired it. What you didn't realise that there were strings attached, hence why you have that mark."

Hayate quickly glanced at his arm, frustratingly admitting to himself that Vydia was right in accepting the dragon. He cursed in his head for being so foolish and hasty in his acceptance.

"What mark are you talking about?" Ayaka asked.

"Since you are not ready yet Ayaka, you will not be able to see it on Ryusei or Hayate. But when you are, one will be present on you also, similar to the one on the screen now."

"What does that mark mean?" Ryusei said, pointing to it on the screen, which also showed Ayaka what Vydia meant.

"As the dragons cannot appear in their true form, they must reside within a powerful soul. Those people are known as Guardians and they are the ones that wield the powers of the dragons. Battles are won and lost by a Guardian's strength, desire and will to win."

"That doesn't answer my question,"

"That mark is the unique identifier of a Guardian. Therefore, that mark means that you are a Guardian of Earth, and you will fight along with the 'shield' dragon." Ryusei looked at his dragon on the screen and studied it; especially as it was the first time he had seen it full bodied. Kasumi who was quiet and generally disinterested in this whole conversation then stated a question.

"To be honest I don't believe in any of this crap about destiny, but I would like to know why your maths is wrong? You only mentioned four of us and there are five dragons."

"Four Guardians are always indentified in a time of conflict. As for the fifth Guardian Dragon, very little is known about it. When evidence about the Guardian Dragons existence became apparent in their early years, people tried to find them as they desired their power. As a precaution in case all five fell under the control of the wrong hands, the fifth dragon hid itself from the outside world, as well as the other Guardian Dragons. It would only reveal itself in a time of dire need, where there was no chance of winning the fight against their enemies."

As she said this, Yuji stared at the picture of the orange dragon, and felt heavily drawn towards it. His focus on the dragon became so intense that he could not see or hear anything else. In response, the dragon moved its head in the picture and looked at Yuji with a low growl. A surprised Yuji gasped as his mind returned back to the table.

"Is something wrong?" Vydia asked.

"No-no, I'm fine." Yuji replied and chuckled weakly while scratching the back of his head.

"Okay," Hayate said to voice his opinion. "Say I believed everything you said and these dragons chose us to stop this liberation, fight the good fight, etc etc. The only problem is that we are not warriors, we are students! So why in the hell would they choose us?"

"Guardian Dragons have taken many forms over its lifetime to fight the necessary threats that are posed. Whatever the threat is, they take a similar form to combat it. Therefore, I must assume that because they have appeared to people who are also duellists…"

"Wait a sec! Are you thinking that this so called threat is in Duel Monsters?!"

"It is possible,"

"This is officially the most stupid thing I've ever heard now."

"You cannot deny the supernatural ties in Duel Monsters Hayate. Or did you forget the pain you and Ryusei suffered when you last duelled."

Hayate then glared at Vydia and asked in a serious manner,

"How did you know about that?"

"I know things about people."

"You were spying on us, weren't you?"

Vydia didn't answer the question and moved on to the point she was originally going to make.

"Guardians are not meant to fight each other in battle, despite how much they are drawn to conflict. If they do, they suffer the same fate as the tools they fight with. Every blow becomes a strain on your body as you feel what they feel."

"So in relation to us, if a card was destroyed, a part of us would be affected?" Ryusei asked,

"Correct."

"Sounds like a load of BS to me." Hayate sulked.

"That attitude will only lead to defeat Hayate, you should be wary that you are now in this fight whether you like it or not. All four of you are tied to the Guardian Dragons; each one of you must accept your destiny as soon as possible."

"And what if we don't?" Kasumi asked.

"Then the world will be liberated, and all bloodshed would be on your hands."

Everyone's faces were in shock at Vydia's statement as they tried to comprehend the implications of possibly becoming a Guardian.

Location: Domino University

Back at the field, Tanya prepared to make her move after drawing her card.

"Are you ready?" she asked. Shinji and Vanessa braced themselves for something big to be played.

"I play Card Destruction so each player discards their hand and draws the same number of cards they discarded." (Vanessa-1, Shinji-2, Tanya-4)

"I next activate my face down Crystal Blessing, this Spell allows me to place two Crystal Beast monsters in my Spell and Trap Zone from my Graveyard. So I choose Amethyst Cat and Cobalt Eagle." An amethyst and a cobalt stone appeared to the left of Tanya.

"But I do need a few more Crystals to join the party, so I will play another Crystal Blessing, this time placing Sapphire Pegasus and Topaz Tiger onto the field." This time, raw sapphire and topaz stones appeared to Tanya's right.

"Why are you using up all your Spell Zones?" Vanessa questioned.

"You're about to find out, I activate Crystal Abundance."

"What does that do?" Shinji asked.

"Simple, by sending four Crystal Beasts from my Spell Zone I can send all cards on the field to the Graveyard."

"Say what?!"

"No!"

"I'm afraid it's true, say bye to all your cards guys." Tanya smirked.

The four stones at Tanya's side elevated into the air and created a bright rainbow light which enveloped the field. When the light subsided, every card on the field had vanished.

"I can't believe everything has gone." Vanessa said in a slightly sad tone.

"Well there's more, since Abundance has a bonus effect for me.

"And what's that?"

"I can Special Summon Crystal Beasts in my Graveyard up to the same number of cards that was sent to the Graveyard from your side.

"But that means…!"

"I can summon four monsters, so allow me to introduce you to Crystal Beasts Sapphire Pegasus (1800/1200), Topaz Tiger (1600/1000), Amethyst Cat (1200/400) and Cobalt Eagle (1400/800)!"

What followed were four animals appearing on Tanya's side of the field. First was a Pegasus with a blue horn and a sapphire embedded in each wing. Next was a white and black striped tiger with a spike on its forehead and a topaz jewel on its neck. Then next to Amethyst Cat was a brown eagle with three cobalt stones embedded on its body, two on the wings and one on the chest.

"Great." Vanessa said sarcastically.

"Don't forget I still haven't summoned a monster yet." She said while singing the last bit of her sentence. "I summon Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth (1700/1600)!"

A large grey mammoth appeared with sharp tusks, and an amber stone embedded in its forehead. When Vanessa and Shinji saw the line up of monsters, they realised they were in serious trouble.

"Sapphire Pegasus and Topaz Tiger will attack Vanessa directly!"

The two monsters charged head first and collided with Vanessa one after the other.

LP (600/0/4000)

"Vanessa!" Shinji exclaimed as she went down to one knee, signalling her defeat.

"Now, Amethyst Cat, Cobalt Eagle and Amber Mammoth, attack Shinji directly!" All three monsters hit Shinji in sequential order forcing him down to one knee also.

LP (600/0/0)

Tanya then walked up to them and saw their depressed faces as they failed to complete what they set out to do.

"Looks like I win." Tanya said as she walked up to them. She took out her Deck and took off the Disk to hand back to Vanessa.

"All we want is to help Ryusei. He's in a difficult time right now and he thinks he can go through it alone. He doesn't realise that we are here for him and will continue to be."

After feeling a little bit of compassion for the two of them, Tanya went into her Deck pouch, took out two cards and held them out.

"If you really want to help your friend, become stronger. Something big is coming and if you don't want to be bystanders, become stronger as you are not good enough as you currently stand. Maybe these will help you."

Vanessa and Shinji took a card each and looked at it carefully.

"Be true to yourself and focus on becoming better. But do it for yourselves, not for Ryusei or anyone else on that matter. After you achieve that, whatever you do is up to you."

Location: The Atrium

At the meeting, Vydia was just about to wrap up her meeting with her final word.

"Whether you want to believe me or not doesn't matter as this is the truth. You four are the chosen ones to defend us from this evil. You must stop the liberation."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Ryusei asked.

"By becoming one with your dragon, only then you will have the power you require to fight this oncoming battle. I am sorry that this destiny has been placed on shoulders as young as yours. But that mark shows that our fate rests with you."

Ryusei then rolled up his sleeve and looked at his mark with a face that had a feeling of great uncertainty of what the near future holds.

End of Chapter

Preview: The group leaves the Atrium with their minds undecided. Later that night while asleep, Ryusei, Ayaka, Hayate and Kasumi are all locked in the same dream, which reveals to them what the future entails. A strong test of their resolve then ensues, with Kasumi first to take the test.  
Chapter 20-Future Vision, Test Of A Guardian!

ORIGINAL CARDS

Surge Of Radiance  
Normal Spell  
When this card is activated select 1 of the following effects:  
- Release 2 Fairy-Type Monsters you control to Special Summon a "Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin" from your Deck or Graveyard.  
- Send a "Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin" you control to the Graveyard. Inflict damage equal to its ATK.


	20. Chapter 20 Test Of A Guardian

Hopes everyone of you readers have a Mery Christmas and make 2010 a big year for you all! No without further ado, I present Chapter 20. Enjoy!

Location: The Atrium

Shortly after leaving the meeting with Vydia, the group were outside the building trying to take in what they've just heard. As a gentle breeze was blowing, there was a deafening silence between all of them, due to the news received from Vydia being far from what they expected. As he was feeling uncomfortable with the silence, Yuji tried to get them talking by asking for their opinions.

"So what do you think?" he asked.

"I don't know what to think," Ayaka answered in a quiet tone. "Part of me thinks that this doesn't make any sense, that it can't be real."

"But…"

"But that woman was right on so many things. She knew things that I haven't told anyone. So it's possible…that maybe she's telling the truth."

"Come on! You actually fell for that crap?!" Hayate exclaimed.

"Don't you think that she could be right?" Ayaka questioned.

"No, all that fantasy bullshit was probably just a prank by some students, that's all."

"How would students know about those dragons, and the marks?"

"They probably read about it somewhere,"

"But…"

"Listen, Ayaka! What we were told was nothing more than a stupid story! Therefore you shouldn't believe any of it! I certainly don't believe any of it, and I'm sure that the others don't believe it to!"

Ayaka eventually backed down from the small argument, but then Ryusei stepped in, voicing his opinion.

"I believe it." He said.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Hayate, I believe it because Vydia has nothing to gain from lying. Think about it; if it was a prank why would students go so far? Also as Ayaka said, Vydia knew things that she shouldn't have known. So maybe…"

"What?" Hayate interrupted, "You think that we're the chosen ones? The Guardians of Earth?"

Ryusei's silence gave Hayate his answer, which made him more irritated.

"Listen to yourself man! This talk about Guardians and dragons and whatever is not real! It's fiction, and the sooner you realise that the better!"

"You can't deny what you saw that day when we duelled, no matter how much you want to. How else can we explain the dreams, these marks and the dragons themselves?"

"Believe me, there is a rational explanation for all of that, and I intend to find it. If you want to carry on believing this story so you can be someone important instead of the low class scumbag you are now, then fine. As for me, I'll get my answers soon enough, and then you will see that I'm right."

Hayate walked down the steps quickly and got on his bike. He put his helmet on and started the engine, revving it a few times.

"And by the way, if for some ridiculous reason this turns out to be true, there is no way in hell I would work with the likes of you."

Ryusei sternly looked at Hayate as he put his visor down and rode off, leaving the Atrium grounds.

Soon afterwards, Kasumi started walking down the steps.

"Kasumi," Ryusei called out. Kasumi stopped and said in her usual cold manner,

"I personally don't give a crap about all of this. So believe what you want to believe, just keep me out of it."

She continued onwards and eventually got on Yuji's bike. Yuji then took his leave to go to his bike and when he and Kasumi were ready, they rode off and left the premises.

This left Ryusei and Ayaka alone outside the Atrium.

"What do you think Ryusei?"

"Even though what we were told is quite far fetched, we can't take it lightly. I have a feeling there is still a lot more that we don't know about.

"So you believe that Vydia was telling the truth?"

"I'm not sure, but I promise that I will find out."

**Chapter 20-Future Vision, Test Of A Guardian!**

At around 4pm. Tanya made her way back to the Atrium. She walked inside the building and down the long hallway, eventually reaching the 'G-5' conference room. Inside, Vydia was working on something on her laptop. She had just finished her work and shut down her laptop when Tanya knocked on the door and entered.

"Hey," she said in a cheerful mood.

"You're late." Vydia replied.

"I know; I had to stop off for a bite to eat. Nothing you can do when hunger calls."

She went and sat down on one of the chairs, leant back and put her feet on the table.

"So, how did it go?" she enquired.

"Fine, obviously they were overwhelmed by the news, but overall it was fine."

"What did you tell them?"

"What they needed to know."

"Which was what?"

"Must you know every detail?"

"It's in my compulsive nature," she answered with a smile.

Vydia sighed in response, but obliged Tanya's request and continued.

"I told them about the fate that has been handed to them."

"So they know about the dragons then?"

"Not everything, but they know enough."

"What do you mean, not everything?"

Vydia then clasped her hands together and leant slightly forward.

"What they know is that each dragon is connected to them in some way and eventually, they will work together to fight the battle that is due upon us. What they don't know is that each one of them has to be tested."

"Tested? How?"

"Even though the Guardian Dragons choose the people they want to reside within, they have made wrong choices in the past. As in selecting people who were either corrupted by evil, or was not strong enough to fight when necessary."

"So would I be right in guessing that the dragon will test their abilities to see if they have made the right choice?"

"Correct, they will test their resolve and if they pass, then they will be worthy wielders of the dragon's power."

"Fair enough, that still doesn't explain the how part."

"Usually, the dragons have to be accepted by each person individually. After that they reside within that person, unlocking their mind until they feel they are ready for the next step."

"I feel a 'but' coming."

"But, time is really of the essence. We do not know how long it would take for Ayaka and Kasumi to accept their fates. Also with the fifth dragon failing to make its appearance, a larger responsibility falls onto the remaining dragons. Therefore, I took it into my own hands to accelerate the process.

"What do you mean accel…?" Tanya paused and then realised what Vydia had done.

"The tea! You used dreamroot in the tea, didn't you?"

"I had no choice. The dreamroot will unlock their minds so that the dragons will have full access to their chosen partners. Therefore, the process will be a lot faster than usual."

Tanya folded her arms in disapproval of Vydia's action.

"You really shouldn't have done that, it is way too risky, especially for first timers using that stuff."

"If the end justifies the means, so be it. Besides, I get the feeling that I wasn't the only person who did something that they shouldn't have done today."

"What do you mean by that? I haven't done anything." Tanya replied with an innocent voice.

"If I was to hazard a guess, I would say the real reason you were late is because you had a duel."

Tanya averted her eyes to pretend that she didn't hear what Vydia said.

"Did you have a duel against someone?"

"Maybe just a quick one."

"Tanya," Vydia said in a disapproving manner.

"What, aren't I entitled to a bit of fun?"

"Not when it risks revealing your true self, you really should have known better."

"I know, but it was kind of relevant."

"How do you mean?"

"It was against Ryusei's friends."

"Why did you duel them when they have nothing to do with what's currently happening?"

"I was bored, plus I felt sorry for them. They really wanted to help, so I thought they may become useful to us in our agenda."

"I disagree, they are not strong enough. Plus this situation is too large for them to comprehend."

"That may be true, but I gave them an incentive so that they can be stronger."

Vydia looked at Tanya with extreme disapproval, but Tanya shrugged it off and answered back,

"You can't say anything because you did something naughty as well, the way I see it, we're even."

"Fine,"

"Good, I'm gonna head home now, so I will talk to you later?"

"Yeah,"

"All right, see you later sis."

Tanya walked out the conference room, leaving Vydia with her thoughts.

Location: Domino East Dorm

The time was just after 10pm on a mild night. Ryusei was continuing his revision in preparation for his final exams. Shinji was already in bed, sleeping, since he'd finished his planned revision for the day. Ryusei was trying to concentrate on his notes but his mind kept wandering to the meeting he had with Vydia, and what she told him. When he was writing his next sentence his vision then became blurred and he couldn't see what he was writing. He shook his head and everything turned back to normal. Ryusei tried writing again but his blurred vision occurred again, but this time he felt his desk was warping. He suddenly became incredibly drowsy and tried to stay awake. In the end his head hit the desk and Ryusei instantly fell asleep.

After what felt like a few hours, Ryusei sharply opened his eyes and rose from his desk. Everything in front of him seemed to be normal and just how it was. He figured he just was tired and fell asleep so he closed his book and decided to call it a night. As soon as he got up from his chair he was shell shocked to find out he was actually outside, in the middle of an empty street at night.

"What…the hell?" he whispered to himself as he looked both sides and saw the street completely deserted.

Eventually he started walking northwards in a hope to finding out where he is.

After walking aimlessly through the streets for what felt like forever, Ryusei deeply sighed as a sign of frustration.

"Where the hell am I?!" he shouted angrily.

At that point he saw someone run across the road into a dark alley. Ryusei noticed the person and gave chase. While running in the dark alley he felt a change in wind direction, but chose to ignore it. After leaving the alley he was astounded to see a street that was completely destroyed. All the buildings on either side were either heavily damaged or completely burnt down. There were abandoned, and burnt cars littered everywhere. Broken glass and debris lied within the many potholes on the road.

"What happened here?" he whispered to himself as he looked and saw destruction all the way towards the horizon.

He then noticed movement behind one of the cars to his right and realised someone was there.

"Wait! Don't run; I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to…"

"Ryusei?" the person interrupted. The person then moved away from the car and it turned out to be Ayaka.

"Ayaka!"

She ran over to him and hugged him tightly, in relief of seeing a friendly face.

"Thank goodness it's you!"

"Where in the hell are we?" he asked as he broke the hold.

"I don't know. One minute I was reading a book and the next minute I was here."

"A similar thing happened to me, what is going on here?"

"I don't know, but I just want to get out of here. I really hate this place."

"I know what you mean, but…what is this place?"

"This is Domino." A voice said.

Ryusei and Ayaka turned to their right to see it was Hayate who said that, while climbing out from one of the buildings.

"Or used to be." He continued.

"Hayate!" A relieved Ayaka said as he walked up to them.

"What are you talking about?" Ryusei asked.

"That place to your left was the bar I used to go to. I know this street inside out, so I'm telling you, this is, or was Domino."

"If that's the case, what in the hell happened to it?" Ryusei asked, still in disbelief to the level of destruction around him.

"I don't know, but to be honest I don't care. I just want to get out of here."

"Don't you want to know what happened here?"

"Not really, because I know this isn't real. This kind of thing can never happen to Domino. So this place is a fake city."

"That kind of depends on what you believe." A female voice said. Everyone turned behind them to see it was Kasumi, holding a dirty, half-ripped newspaper, walking up to them.

"The date on the paper may mean something." She said as he held it out.

Ryusei was about to take it but Hayate snatched it first. As he looked, his eyes widened as he saw the date on the newspaper. Ryusei then took it from him and read the date stating, 27th May 2011.

"2011? Are you saying this happens only two years from now?!"

Kasumi gave a careless shrug of her shoulders as she didn't know the answer, and was sceptical that this really was the future. Ryusei then turned to look past all the devastation and looked to the horizon. He was wondering what could have happened that would have caused so much carnage in such a short amount of time. But then he remembered the meeting with Vydia.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_**VYDIA: **_**"**_**Liberation usually means freedom for people; however this kind of liberation will instead cause chaos and despair instead of celebration."**_

"Could this be related to the liberation?" Ryusei muttered to himself.

"Please, not that crap again!" Hayate said in an annoyed manner.

"Come on Hayate, we've been seeing the dragons in our dreams. What if they are trying to warn us?"

"You really letting your imagination run wild now!"

"We can't ignore this Hayate! Vydia said so herself that the liberation would bring chaos and destruction!"

"So what if she said it?! It doesn't mean anything!"

"Look around you! Don't you see? This is what's going to happen if we don't do anything to stop it!"

"I've had it up to here with this 'liberation' shit! All of this isn't real, and it's about time you take your head from the clouds and realise it!!"

"Hayate!!" Ryusei replied in frustration whilst grabbing his blazer.

Suddenly, the both of them noticed a small, but brief flash of light which came from the horizon. They stopped their argument and looked in that direction.

"What was that?" Ayaka questioned.

Soon afterwards, the ground started shaking, causing everyone to lose their balance and fall to the ground. As everyone struggled to get up they looked towards the horizon. They were horrified to see a gigantic ball of fire, at least a hundred feet tall shooting through the city, incinerating everything in its path.

"RUN!" Ryusei shouted, at which point everyone turned and started running.

Everyone sprinted hard, desperately trying to somehow evade the monstrous fireball that was increasingly gaining on them. Unfortunately, Ayaka tripped over some debris and fell to the ground. Ryusei noticed and went back to help her up.

"Come on, keep moving!!" he shouted as he picked her up and they continued running.

After a few steps Ryusei turned around to see the fireball almost upon him. He screamed and put his arms up to protect himself as the fire enveloped him.

"RYUSEI!!" Ayaka shouted as she looked back, and then she screamed loudly as she was overwhelmed by the fire.

Eventually the fireball caught up with Hayate and Kasumi and engulfed the both of them as it spread throughout the entire city and beyond.

Shortly after those events, Ryusei gasped and sharply opened his eyes. He quickly sat up on the floor, panting heavily as he looked around the new place he was now in. He was in an old, darkish room that seemed to be within a castle. The walls were made of old bricks of rough cut sizes and were illuminated with candles hanging across all the walls. He then looked around himself and saw Hayate, Kasumi and Ayaka all lying on the floor unconscious. One by one however, they started to awaken and recover from what occurred earlier.

"What just happened?" Hayate groaned.

"I don't know, I remember running away from the fire. After that, I woke up here." Ryusei answered.

"When will this nightmare be over?" Ayaka whined, as she slowly got up.

As the others got up and recovered, Ayaka noticed something. On each of the four walls was a freshly varnished wooden door which seemed to lead into another room.

"Four doors, I'm guessing one of these doors leads to a way out of this place."

"But which one do we take?" Ryusei asked.

"We follow the door that is related to us." Kasumi answered.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Look above each door," Hayate responded.

As Ryusei looked at each door he noticed each one had the marking of a Duel Monster on each one. From the door on the left wall, going clockwise were Judgment Dragon, Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV8, Tytannial, Princess Of Camellias and Cybernetic Magician.

"Those are…"

"Duel Monsters, in particular our ace monsters." Kasumi answered.

"So what do we do?" Ayaka questioned.

"I say we split up, head for each door, and hope we find a way out of here. If you don't find a way out, make your way back here and hopefully we'll come up with a new plan." Hayate said to the others, which they all agreed.

They all stood back to back and faced their paths towards their door. They all walked up to their doors and stood in front of them. After a pause and a few deep breaths, they opened the doors simultaneously and entered inside. Shortly after entering, all the doors slammed shut in a vicious manner, locking everyone onto their paths.

Location: East Tokyo

The day was generally grey and cloudy in what seemed to be mid afternoon. As soon as the first door closed behind her, Kasumi found herself inside a house. As she looked around, she noticed the small, bland front room. Then after seeing the brown wallpaper, sofa and the table with the beer bottles standing on it, she instantly recognised where she was.

"This…is…" she said in disbelief.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" a voice said.

Kasumi's body froze, feeling a chill down her spine after hearing that voice. She turned around slowly to see her mother standing in the doorway towards the kitchen.

"Kasumi, look at you, all grown up."

"This…can't…be."

"What? You can't be that surprised to see me? This is my house after all."

"But…you're…"

"Dead? That's just a technicality, now why don't you come and give your mother a hug?" As she moved closer, Kasumi reacted defensively and backed away to the door.

"You are not my mother." She said coldly.

Reina stopped and sighed,

"You're right, because you're mother would do this."

Reina then lifted her arm in an attempt to slap her daughter. Kasumi however, was alert and caught her wrist in mid-swing, following with an angry glare at Reina. Reina just smiled and said,

"Wow, you have definitely grown up. You have a lot more fire in you compared to back then."

Kasumi threw her mother's arm to one side and demanded,

"Who are you?!"

"Don't make me repeat myself." She answered as she picked a beer bottle from the table and went outside to start drinking.

She walked down the steps, shortly followed by Kasumi until they were in the middle of the road, which was uncannily empty. Kasumi grabbed her arm to stop her, expecting an answer to her question.

"I'm your mother, the one who gave birth to you, the one who used and abused you and the one you hate out of all the people in the entire world."

"I don't believe you."

"Well that's your problem Kasumi, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm here, having to teach you a lesson." she said after taking a swig of her beer.

"What lesson?"

"That you are too weak."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, you may think you're a tough girl, shutting everyone out and only caring about yourself."

"That makes me strong,"

"Strong? You think cutting ties with everyone makes you strong? Sorry Kasumi but that is the complete opposite of strong. Maybe you could try weak and pathetic."

"And why are you telling me this?"

"Because Kasumi, I'm disgusted by the fact that I've seemed to have raised a feeble girl, who's masquerading as an untouchable."

"I don't have to listen to this."

Kasumi turned her back on Reina and started walking away.

"So I'm guessing Yuji isn't important to you." Reina answered back.

Kasumi froze and turned round to face her mother, who took another sip of her drink.

"I'm surprised he has managed to stick around for so long already. He must really care about you, but I wonder how long it will be before you drive him away? Another week? A month? A year? Or maybe he's at the end of his tether already."

"Shut up!" she responded viciously.

"Touched a nerve have we? You should try and be more open, you're too cold and bitter."

"And whose fault is that?"

"You can blame me if you want, but that doesn't change anything. You're not strong enough to follow in my footsteps, which is why you are destined to fail."

"Look, I don't know who you are, but if I wanted your opinion, I wouldn't ask for it. So just back off and leave me alone!"

As soon as she turned to leave the place, she was shocked to see her mother standing in front of her.

"Kasumi, Kasumi, Kasumi. It's because of your stubbornness that I can't allow you to leave."

"What…did you say?"

Reina then disappeared and reappeared behind Kasumi, making her jump.

"You will only be allowed to leave if you are able to prove that you are strong enough."

Kasumi sighed in frustration but agreed as she wanted to leave this place, badly.

"And how do I prove my strength?"

Reina gave a smile, smashed her bottle on the floor and then held out her left arm. Particles of light started appearing and were being absorbed into Reina's arm. Soon, the lights turned into a Duel Disk with a Deck inserted.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Do you see me laughing? If you can beat me then you are free to leave, but you won't be able to beat me because you don't know who you are."

"Okay, firstly, I know who I am and that you don't know how to duel. Secondly, if we did duel, I would completely and utterly destroy you. Finally, I can't duel you without a Deck and Disk."

"You never bothered to check your pocket."

As Kasumi looked to her right side, she was surprised to see her Deck Pouch on her, with her Deck inside it. She pulled it out and then a Duel Disk appeared on her arm. She was taken aback at first, but then settled down and accepted the challenge by activating her Duel Disk.

"Nice to see that you accept,"

"Please, this is not even a challenge; this will be over in a few turns."

Reina activated her Duel Disk and both players drew their five cards as they shouted

"Duel!!"

LP (Reina-4000/Kasumi-4000)

"I'll start!" Reina announced as she drew her card. "I set a monster face down and end my turn. Your go."

Kasumi drew her card silently and instantly made her move.

"I play Charge Of The Light Brigade, so I send the top three cards from my Deck to the Graveyard (Ryko, Lumina, Aurkus) to add 'Ehren, Lightsworn Monk' (1600/1000) from my Deck to my hand. Then I will summon her to the field."

A black haired woman appeared on the field, wearing white/gold armour on her torso and white/gold boots. She wore a red skirt and also wielded a bronze staff with a gold top.

"Next I play Sworn Ascension, when I control a Lightsworn monster I can Special Summon a Lightsworn from my Graveyard, so be reborn, Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner (1000/1000). I next discard Brain Control to use Lumina's effect, and revive Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid (1200/1800) in attack mode."

"Three monsters in your first turn, I can sense your hatred burns quite strongly for me Kasumi."

"Ehren attacks your face down, and her effect activates. When it attacks a monster in defense mode, it automatically returns it to the top of your Deck."

Ehren struck the monster with her staff, which immediately returned it back to Reina.

"Now Lumina and Aurkus will wage direct attacks."

Despite the double attack, Reina had no reaction to the damage she had taken.

LP (1800/4000)

"In the End Phase of my turn, I send a total of nine cards from my Deck to the Graveyard, turn end."

"Not too bad Kasumi, I can see you feeding off your anger. However, you have a conflicting heart so you will never win."

"What you mean by that?"

Reina drew her card, and made her move.

"I set a monster face-down, set a card face-down and end my turn."

Kasumi again drew her card silently.

"I summon Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress (1700/300). Her effect allows me to switch it from attack to defense mode in order to destroy a face-down on the field. So Lyla will take out your face-down."

"You shouldn't have done that Kasumi; I activate my face down, Desert Sunlight."

"Why?"

"Simple, Desert Sunlight flips monsters on my side of the field to face-up defense, so I reveal my face-down monster…"

When the monster was flipped up, Kasumi scowled at it after recognising the branch engraved gold jar, with a fully grown forest tree sticking out of it.

"Fiber Jar (500/500)." She said coldly.

"Yeah, so all cards in hand, field and Graveyard goes back to the Deck, we then shuffle and draw five new cards."

As both players did this, Kasumi was having doubts about her play.

Kasumi: ("What kind of Deck is she running? Why would she go through the trouble of resetting the duel?")

"Anything else Kasumi?" she asked with an evil grin.

Kasumi was tempted to set her Trap Widespread Ruin. But she decided to leave an open field to force her mother into revealing her strategy.

"I end my turn."

"Okay, my turn! I play Hand Destruction, so each player sends two cards to the Graveyard and then draws two cards."

Kasumi did this (sending Wulf and Jenis), still wondering what her plan was.

"I next set a monster in defense mode and play Book Of Taiyou. This Spell allows me to flip a face-down monster on the field into face-up attack mode, so I flip summon my Needle Worm (750/600)."

Kasumi's eyes widened in realisation on what her mother's plan actually was,

"Needle Worm, which can only mean…"

"That's right, deck destruction. How nice of you to finally catch on Kasumi. Since it seems you recognised the monster I'm guessing your familiar with its effect. Therefore you must discard the top five cards from your Deck to the Graveyard."

Kasumi reluctantly took the cards (Vanquishing Light, Ehren, Celestia, Charge Of The Light Brigade and Garoth) and placed them in the Graveyard. Even though her exterior expressed nothing but calmness, Kasumi was secretly agitated knowing that this is the worst kind of Deck for her Lightsworns to face.

"I end my turn with a face down."

"Why didn't you attack me? I was wide open."

"I don't need to attack you, besides I would absolutely love it if I beat you without inflicting a single point of damage."

Kasumi glared at her mother and drew her card sharply. She saw it was Solar Recharge and deliberated what to do to effectively come back.

Kasumi: ("Deck Destruction, what a pain. If I play too many Lightsworns, I will lose very quickly due to them sending cards to the Graveyard. Therefore, I can't risk playing this card. At the same time, with only 1800 Life Points, I should have no problems defeating her.")

"I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin, (1800/1200). Jain attacks your Needle Worm."

"Unfortunately for you, I play Book Of Moon which flips a monster on the field to face-down defense, so I think I will choose my Needle Worm."

Kasumi gritted her teeth in anger towards her mother as her monster became set again before Jain slashed it, causing the effect to trigger once again.

"Another five cards to the Graveyard please." Reina said with a sinister smile.

Kasumi obliged but her emotions were stirring within her. Especially since she noticed one of the cards that were sent to the Graveyard was Judgment Dragon.

"I end my turn with a face down and Jain sends the top two cards from my Deck to the Graveyard."

Kasumi was starting to feel frustrated, and Reina could sense it, so started to take advantage.

"You're getting angry Kasumi; which is good. You have to focus solely on that anger if you want to win."

"Just be quiet and make your move." She snapped back,

"Whatever you say, I draw. I set a monster face-down and one card face-down and end my turn."

Kasumi, letting her anger take over slightly, quickly drew her card and played it instantly.

"I release my Jain to summon, Gragontih, Lightsworn Dragon (2000/1600)! Gragonith gains 300 ATK and DEF for every differently named Lightsworn in my Graveyard. So since there are six, it gains 1800 extra points (3800/3400)! On top of that, it also inflicts damage between its ATK and the opposing monster's defense, so Gragonith attacks now! Justice Breath!!"

Gragonith breathed out white fire at which Reina, smiled at.

"I activate Hallowed Life Barrier, so by discarding one card from my hand, all damage I take gets reduced to zero."

Kasumi growled in real irate manner as Gragonith destroyed the monster, which turned out to be Morphing Jar.

"Also since Morphing Jar was flipped, we both discard our entire hands and draw five cards."

"Damn it!" she muttered, knowing she was running out of time. "I end my turn with a face down; Gragonith also sends the top three cards to the Graveyard."

"How many cards left in your Deck now?"

"Ten."

"Ouch, that's what happens when you try and be someone you're not; you fail when the going gets tough. Anyway I draw; I set a monster face-down. Then I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Kasumi figured her mother wanted her to get angry so that she wouldn't keep her concentration. Therefore, Kasumi attempted to calm down by breathing deeply. She drew her card, hoping to get something to turn this duel around. Unfortunately she drew Wulf, Lightsworn Beast (2100/300), so she decided to move into battle.

"Gragonith…!"

"Before you do that, I activate Desert Sunlight, so I can flip my monster again." Reina interrupted before Kasumi could declare her attack

This time a monster similar appeared to Morphing Jar appeared. It had the same one eye, and mischievous smile. However, the jar that contained it was black with red swirls designed on it.

"I summon Morphing Jar #2 and its effect activates."

"I won't allow it as I activate Sworn Execution, so I discard Wulf to negate the effect of your monster."

"Sorry, but my Dark Bribe cancels your Trap, and you have the pleasure of drawing as well,"

An annoyed Kasumi drew her card sharply as she knew what was going to happen next.

"Now since Morphing Jar #2 was flipped, all monsters are returned back to the Deck. Then we pick up cards until we get monsters equal to the same number of monsters that was sent from our side of the field. After that, any Level 4 or below monsters are set on the field. Anything else gets sent to the Graveyard."

Reina picked up one card and it turned out to be Cyber Jar.

"Well, aren't I the lucky one." She said as she set it on the field.

Kasumi had to pick up three cards before she got a monster which was Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter (200/100). She set that onto the field and discarded the other two (Mirror Force, Judgment Calvary). As much as she didn't want to, Kasumi had no choice but to end her turn. She knew she only had one Gragonith left in her Deck after keeping track of what has been sent to the Graveyard. She figured that her only way out of this is to go with Glorious Illusion and hope she draws Gragonith to try and win.

"I end my turn with a face-down."

"My turn then, I flip summon Cyber Jar so all monsters are destroyed."

Cyber Jar exploded, enveloping the field, destroying Ryko in the process.

"Then we draw five new cards, show them to each other and then summon or set any level 4 monsters we draw."

Reina drew her cards and smiled as she revealed to Kasumi, Hiro's Shadow Scout, Needle Worm, Chainsaw Insect, Morphing Jar #2 and Gravekeeper's Servant.

"I summon Chainsaw Insect (2400/0) and I set the remaining monsters face down."

Kasumi drew her cards and was disappointed to see despite her large hand, only Gragonith was any help to the situation; she revealed Gragonith, Lightsworn Barrier, Solar Recharge, Smashing Ground, and Solar Recovery.

"Huh, I now activate my Gravekeeper's Servant. So as long as this card is on the field, you must send the top card from your Deck to the Graveyard if you want to declare an attack. Next I activate my Penalty of Greed. Basically I discard two cards and then you have to randomly discard cards from your hand equal to number of monsters I control. Since I control four, you have to discard four cards."

Kasumi growled as she discarded her four cards, which unfortunately included Gragonith."

"I end my turn. See Kasumi, I told you. You weren't fully committed to your cause and that's why you have lost."

"I haven't lost yet."

"You have one card left in your Deck and no monsters on the field. This is what's going to happen to you if you don't focus!"

"Just shut up!"

"Why should I? You fact is that you have know idea who you are and that's why you're a failure!"

"Huh?"

"You heard me! You're a complete waste of space that I wish I never had! The fact that my daughter has grown up to be a useless, pitiful girl makes me sick!"

"I'm not pitiful!"

"Yes you are!! You are so conflicted that you don't know yourself which one is the real you! One side is the cold hearted bitch that couldn't care less if the world was ending! The other side is one that craves for love and attention; just like the girl you were all those years ago!"

Kasumi's eyes widened in surprise but then realised that there were some elements of truth in what Reina said.

"You cannot be both; you have to be one or the other! It is because of your indecision that you're incapable of getting what you want! I know you crave love, more than anything because you feel that you didn't get it from me! Well I say that's too bad, because the world is like that! If you really want to make something of yourself you have to choose one side, and I suggest you follow my footsteps and focus on nothing but yourself."

Kasumi's thoughts were all over the place. She had so many conflicting emotions that she was not thinking clearly at all. Then the image of Yuji appeared which instantly calmed her down. After a long pause, she then answered.

"No,"

"No?"

"When I was younger I desperately wanted your attention. I wanted you to love me as I did you back then, and deep down, that still hasn't changed. After you died I felt becoming like you will help me become stronger, become feared and untouchable. However, now I've realised that I don't want to be anything like you. You are a disgrace and I hate you for what you've done to me for all these years."

Reina's face then turned into a big grin, almost revelling in the revelation.

"However," Kasumi then drew the last card from her Deck sharply. "If there is one thing that trying to follow your footsteps has taught me, is to never give up when facing adversity, which is why,"

Reina gasped as she saw the card that Kasumi drew.

"I always keep on fighting until the very end! I play Pot Of Avarice! I return five monsters (Judgment Dragon, Lyla, Lumina, Jain, Ehren) from my Graveyard to my Deck, shuffle and draw two cards."

She did this and drew her two cards which were Judgment Dragon and Lumina.

"Since I have more than four differently named 'Lightsworn' monsters I can now summon Judgment Dragon!"

As the dragon appeared, Reina's face was now filled with despair as the whole duel has turned around to Kasumi's favour.

"I now activate Judgment Dragon's effect. By paying 1000 Life Points I can destroy all cards on the field except itself! Storm of Justice!"

LP (1800/3000)

A large gale blew on to the field destroying all cards on the field. Reina was shocked and looked into the vengeful eyes of Judgment Dragon, which matched the same eyes Kasumi had.

"Please, please wait."

"I'm tired of waiting. As much as I have desired for your love, my hatred for you has burned just as brightly. This is now my chance to exact my revenge on you for all the years of suffering."

Reina gasped in horror as Judgment Dragon prepared for its attack.

"Feel the pain of a decade of hatred upon your form! Judgment Dragon, Judgment Blaze!!"

Judgment Dragon roared out an intense cyclone of white fire, engulfing Reina. She screamed in pain and eventually disintegrated within the fire until there was nothing left except for her Duel Disk which slowly fell on to the floor.

LP (0/3000)

End OF Chapter.

Preview: Kasumi finally wakes up from her dream with surprising results. The door with Horus takes Hayate back to his old school. After browsing the empty grounds he was shocked to see Yuuka there. As they talk about their past, Yuuka challenges Hayate to a duel in an effort to prove he is incapable of becoming a Guardian.

Chapter 21-Request Of An Old Flame

ORIGINAL CARDS

Sworn Ascension  
Continuous Spell  
Activate only when you control a "Lightsworn" Monster. Special Summon a"Lightsworn" Monster from your Graveyard and equip it to this card. This card is destroyed at the end of your 2nd turn of activation.

Sworn Execution  
Counter Trap  
Discard 1 "Lightsworn" monster from your hand to the Graveyard. Negate the activation of a Spell, Trap or Monster Effect and destroy that card.

Penalty Of Greed  
Normal Spell  
You can only activate this card when your opponent has 5 or more cards in her hand. Discard 2 cards from your hand to have your opponent randomly discard cards from their hand equal to the number of monsters you control.


	21. YuGiOh! Dragon Destiny New Year Special!

Hi everyone! Just here to wish all of you a Happy New Year! Make sure its a year where you attain happiness and achieve your goals. Anyway to celebrate the New Year I've written a bonus chapter with a special duel entailed. Note that this chapter in **NOT **tied to the stroy in any manner. So without further ado, enjoy the New Year Special!

**Yu-Gi-Oh! Dragon Destiny-New Year Special!**

Location: Kaiba Land

The time was nearing towards 7pm on a cold brisk night in Domino City. Ongoing within the Kaiba Land theme park was a Duel Monsters festival to celebrate the New Year. Thousands of people were inside, enjoying all the sights and attractions that the park entailed. However, what seemed to be the main attraction was an event occurring within the Kaiba Dome, just outside theme park. There were still hundreds of people queuing outside, despite staff members warning that they were near full capacity in the stadium.

After letting a few more people in, the staff announced that they had reached full capacity and refused entry to all others who were currently outside. Inside the Kaiba Dome there were a few people out and about, buying merchandise and getting food. However, almost everybody was inside the stadium anticipating a certain event coming up. The stadium was completely full with an audience ranging from families and students, to elders and corporate representatives. Most of the students, especially all the duellists within the University were present, some more interested than others.

Ryusei, Vanessa, Shinji and Kazuma were all sitting in the first section on the left enjoying the pre-entertainment show of dances, songs and gymnastics.

"This is so awesome!" Shinji said in a jovial manner.

"I know; this show has been amazing so far!" Vanessa followed.

"I think it's been all right so far." Ryusei calmly replied.

"Don't you get excited about anything Ryusei? You're so anti-social."

"No I'm not,"

"Yes you are.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are!"

"You might want to stop before you'll miss what's coming up." Kazuma intervened. This stopped the small exchange between Ryusei and Vanessa as they reclined back to their seats.

"Anyway, I'm looking forward to knowing what this special event is." Shinji said.

"Well it's about 7 now, so I'm guessing we will find out any second now."

As soon as the clock in the stadium hit 7pm, the stadium announcer ascended from the bottom to the centre of the duelling field. He was a man who stood at medium height, wearing a black suit, sunglasses and had short spiked blonde hair. With a big smile, he shouted down the microphone with passion,

"All righty then!! Are you ready for today's special event?!!"

The audience cheered loudly to answer the announcer's question.

"Now, if you recall when you entered the Dome, your name and details were recorded by a member of our wonderful staff for those who wanted to take part in today's event. Now the reason why is because……this special event……four lucky members of our audience will take part in an four-way duel, right here, right now!"

The announcement caused loud cheers and excitement from the audience.

"That's not a bad special event I guess," Ryusei said.

"How can you not get excited about this?" Vanessa questioned.

"You're assuming that because I'm not cheering or dancing around that I'm not excited."

"Yeah, because that's what people usually do."

The announcer continued with an incentive of participating.

"On top of that, the winner of the duel will get this amazing, one of a kind Duel Disk!"

A centrepiece ascended in front of the announcer which revealed a very shiny sky blue Duel Disk. What was different about it was that the main head was formed in the shape of the head of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. The card slots were also designed as one of the dragon's wings. Everyone looked in awe of the Duel Disk, with many people desiring it.

"Each person who registered their details has a Duel Disk underneath their seat, as soon as your name is called out; grab the Disk and head to the duelling field! Now with that out of the way, it's time to select our competitors!"

The stadium had the lights dimmed down to its lowest setting and a spotlight was turned on, moving through random spots in the crowd. Eventually the spotlight stopped and the first competitor was selected. A shell shocked Vanessa looked up as she realised that she was selected.

"Vanessa Rogers, come on down!" the announcer shouted.

"Huh?"

"Go on Vanessa!" Shinji pressed.

A surprised Vanessa felt under her seat and got the Duel Disk. She then made her way down to the duel field. The spotlight then went around again, and stopped in the middle of the 3rd section of the left. It turned out the spotlight was shining on Ayaka.

"Ayaka Uchiha, come on down!"

"Oh no," Ayaka groaned.

"This is great, go on Ayaka!" Mina said happily.

"I don't even want to duel."

"Well you shouldn't have registered your name then,"

"I only did it because you forced me to!"

Ayaka sighed and reluctantly picked up her Disk and headed to the field. When she reached the bottom she gave a friendly smile to Vanessa, who smiled back. As the spotlight moved again, Tanya was sitting at the back row of the 2nd section on the left.

Tanya: ("A four way duel would be interesting to take part in, however I have an important meeting to get to later, so maybe another time.")

As soon as she got up from her seat the spotlight was shining on her as she was the next person selected.

"Just great," she muttered knowing that if she goes she may miss her meeting.

But she thought she was entitled to some fun once in a while, so she opted to join.

She grabbed her Duel Disk and headed down swiftly before the announcer could announce her name. As she reached the duel field the spotlight was searching for the final duellist. After a long search the spotlight finally stopped, right in the middle of the 3rd section on the right. The person who was under the light this time was Kasumi. Mitsuko, sitting next to Kasumi was surprised while Vanessa and Kasumi groaned; knowing that Kasumi would be the hardest to beat. Kasumi sighed in disappointment and said.

"I thought this special event was going to be something interesting. But no, instead I have to duel against a rubbish crew of sorry duellists."

"You can't discount that Ayaka is a Duel Leader also." Mitsuko replied back.

"What a nuisance," Kasumi got up and grabbed her Duel Disk from underneath her seat.

As she made it to the field, she didn't bother acknowledging any of the other duellists, which irritated Vanessa. As the centrepiece then descended to underneath the stadium, Yuji and Kai, sitting at the middle of the right half of the stadium, were discussing the match.

"Hmm, four ladies going head-to-head, it really should be an easy match." Kai said.

"I think the opposite, this is going to be very close," Yuji replied back.

"Come on! I know I haven't seen Vanessa or that other chick duel, but you can't deny that Kasumi is the overwhelming favourite."

"Everyone knows that Kasumi is the favourite, which could work against her, especially if her opponents team up to take her down first."

"Doesn't matter, Kasumi will win, I'm sure of it." Kai answered in a confident manner.

"5.000 says it's someone else,"

"I refuse to accept that, especially since you have favourable odds with three other duellists to my one!"

"Fine, 5,000 on………" Yuji paused for a while as he scanned each of the girl's faces to see who he thought would win. After briefly looking, he made his decision.

"5,000 on Vanessa to win,"

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack,"

"It's your funeral then, I'll look forward to taking your money when this over."

Kai and Yuji shook hands in acceptance of the bet and continued watching.

While the four girls were preparing their Decks for the match, Ryusei, Kazuma and Shinji gave their thoughts.

"That's a pretty tough draw to choose a winner." Shinji said.

"Yeah, if Vanessa wants to win this she's going to have to duel out of her skin." Kazuma added.

"I'll believe she could do it, as long as she keeps focused and believes in herself." Ryusei replied, hoping within himself that Vanessa would do exactly as he said.

"What do you think, Hayate?" Tasuku asked.

"Doesn't matter who wins, just as long as the duel isn't boring." He replied.

As the girls finished preparing their Decks and inserted them into their Duel Disks they all had their own ideas going into the match.

Vanessa: ("Going up against two Duel Leaders is going to make this very tough. But it doesn't matter; I have to take them down if I want to win. That bitch Kasumi seems to be the strongest, so I guess I have to beat her first!")

Ayaka: ("Kasumi is easily the favourite, the other two I know little about though. I guess I should be cautious until I know what I'm dealing with.")

Tanya: ("This should be a _very_ interesting match.")

Kasumi: ("Why did I even bother signing up to this?")

"Are you READY?!!" the announcer shouted.

The girls responded by activating their Duel Disks, and drawing their opening hands.

"THEN LET THE DUEL COMMENCE!!"

"DUEL!!" The girls shouted, with the crowd buoyant for the start of the duel.

LP (Vanessa-4000/Ayaka-4000/Tanya-4000/Kasumi-4000)

"I'll start, draw!" Vanessa announced as she drew her card.

"I summon Radiant Jeral (1000/2000) in defense mode! I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" Ayaka followed. "I summon Cursed Fig (200/200) in defense mode, and set a card face-down. Turn end."

"You know, you're not going to get anywhere being cautious. If anything you have to throw caution to the wind." Tanya said, causing Vanessa and Ayaka to glare at her. Tanya smiled in response as she drew her card.

"I summon Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise (600/2000) in defense mode." A refined emerald stone appeared on the field and emitted a radiant green light. It then morphed into a blue shelled tortoise with emerald crystals on the top of it. Bright, yellow eyes can be seen within the gap of the shell where the tortoise was hiding.

Ayaka: ("Crystal Beast? I've never heard of them.")

"Didn't you just say that you shouldn't be cautious? Yet you've done exactly the same as what those two did earlier; play a crap monster in defense mode." Kasumi said to Tanya.

"What can I say? I'm just following what the others are doing. I set a card face-down and end my turn. So let's see what you got Kasumi."

Kasumi didn't react to Tanya's goading but drew her card silently.

"I activate Solar Recharge, so I discard Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid (1200/1800) to draw two cards. Then I send the top two cards from my Deck (Wulf, Lightsworn Beast, Realm Of Light) to the Graveyard. Since Wulf, Lightsworn Beast (2100/300) was sent from the Deck to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it to the field."

As Kasumi's beast appeared, Vanessa reacted quickly.

"I activate my face-down Demise Of The Land! So when my opponent Special Summons a monster I can select a Field Spell from my Deck and activate it. So I choose, The Sanctuary In The Sky!"

The duel field was surrounded with white clouds with a tall temple standing behind Vanessa.

"As long as this card is in play, all battle damage involving Fairy monsters is reduced to 0!"

"Am I supposed to care? I summon Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior (1850/1300), now Wulf, Lightsworn Beast; attack that disgusting gem over there."

Wulf jumped in the air and as he descended, he swung his large golden axe over his head and down on Emerald Tortoise, causing it to shatter. However a bright light occurred afterwards and a raw emerald stone appeared on Tanya's field.

"What the hell is that?" Kasumi asked in a low, serious tone.

"When Crystal Beasts are destroyed they stay on the field as a Continuous Spell, instead of going to the Graveyard." Tanya gleefully replied.

This caused murmurs and surprised reactions in the crowd.

"I've never even heard of anything like that!" Shinji exclaimed.

"Neither have I, but she clearly has an objective for keeping them on the field." Ryusei added.

Kasumi brushed off Tanya's revelation about her monsters and continued her Battle Phase.

"Garoth, attack Ayaka's Cursed Fig." Garoth charged forward and extended its spear to strike Ayaka's monster.

Just before impact though, Tanya interrupted the battle.

"I activate my face down, Crystal Raigeki, so by sending a Crystal Beast in my Spell Zone to the Graveyard, I can destroy a card on the field. So I think I will choose Garoth." She said with a grin.

A lightning strike hit the emerald stone and redirected towards Garoth, shattering both cards. Kasumi coldly glared at Tanya, who was still smiling.

"That was for calling my Crystal Beast disgusting."

"Whatever, I set a card face-down on the field and end my turn."

"Back to me then," Vanessa announced as she drew her card. Despite Tanya being wide open, she saw Kasumi as the bigger threat so decided to start her attack with her.

"I release my Radiant Jeral to summon Airknight Parshath (1900/1400), and since my Jeral was sent to the Graveyard while my Sanctuary is in play, I gain 1000 Life Points."

LP (V-5000, A-4000, T-4000, K-4000)

"I now equip my Airknight with Cestus of Dagla, so it gains 500 extra ATK points (2400/1400)! Airknight Parshath attacks Wulf, Lightsworn Beast with Ascension Slash!"

Vanessa's monster charged forward with its horse legs and performed a powerful jump in the air. It then descended down and slashed Wulf in half, shattering it.

"Now my Dagla and Parshath's effects activate! With Dagla, I get Life Points equal to the same amount of Battle Damage I dealt to you Kasumi, so therefore I gain 300!"

LP (V-5300, A-4000, T-4000, K-3700)

"Then my Parshath's effect allows me to draw a card whenever I inflict Battle Damage!" Vanessa drew her card and liked what she saw, but decided to save it for later.

"I end my turn."

"All right Vanessa!" Shinji cheered, with Kazuma and Ryusei both smiling at her move.

Ayaka ("This is the best chance we have to eliminate Kasumi, while she's open.")

"My turn, draw!" Ayaka announced. "I summon Gigantic Cephalotus (1850/700) in attack mode! Cephalotus, attack Kasumi directly!"

The monster jumped forward and opened its mouth viciously. It then took a bite from Kasumi's ribs, but she had no reaction.

LP (V-5300, A-4000, T-4000, K-1850)

"I end my turn."

"So is that your plan?" Kasumi asked in a serious tone, but got no response. "You were going to team up so you could defeat me as soon as possible. At first I wasn't taking this duel seriously as I didn't care about the outcome. But after realising this I cannot let this pass. If for some reason I manage to survive this turn, I promise you that I will go all out and won't stop until I destroy every single one of you."

Kasumi then gave an ice cold stare at each competitor, slightly worrying them, except for Tanya who just smiled at Kasumi.

"That's all well and good Kasumi, except the fact that depending on what I draw, you may not even get that opportunity. So let's find out what fate has in store for you." Tanya drew her card and gave a big grin.

"I summon Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat (1200/400)!" A pink stone appeared which then revealed a pink panther with a gold/amethyst stone breastplate.

"I next equip my Cat with Crystal Release, giving it 800 extra attack points (2000/400)!"

Vanessa: ("She's going to do it!")

Ayaka: ("She's going to eliminate Kasumi!")

"No!" Kai shouted.

"Looks like you better get ready to pay up." Yuji said with a smug face.

Kasumi closed her eyes accepting her defeat and braced herself for the attack.

"Amethyst Cat, attack…Ayaka directly." She said with a smile.

"What?!" Vanessa said in disbelief.

"Yes! Haha, this bet isn't over!" Kai celebrated.

Ayaka glared at the cat as it charged forward to attack.

"Amethyst Cat has the ability to attack directly if I halve its ATK strength (1000/400)."

Amethyst Cat jumped over Ayaka's monsters and swiped at her, causing her to flinch.

LP (V-5300, A-3000, T-4000, K-1850)

Kasumi looked at Tanya, expecting an answer as to why she didn't attack her.

"What? I don't team up with anybody; I just focus on me and me only." Tanya answered. "Besides if you are gone those two would just team up to take me out. There's a better chance of me winning if I keep you around. It's nothing personal, just business."

"Very well," Kasumi answered. "But don't expect the same compassion from me."

"I won't, I end my turn with a face-down."

Kasumi drew her card sharply, she then looked at it and started her comeback.

"I play Charge Of The Light Brigade, so I send the top three cards of my Deck to the Graveyard (Necro Guardna, Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner, Jenis, Lightsworn Mender) to add Jain, Lightsworn Paladin (1800/1200) to my hand. I next activate Monster Reborn to revive my Lumina (1000/1000)."

Vanessa then looked slightly concerned after remembering Lumina's effect.

"I discard a card (Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon) to revive a Level 4 Lightsworn monster such as Wulf, Lightsworn Beast (2100/300). I then release my Lumina to summon Celestia, Lightsworn Angel (2300/200)."

"Oh no," Ayaka whispered.

"When Celestia is summoned by releasing a Lightsworn monster, I can send the top four cards (Ryko, Vanquishing Light, Solar Recharge and Lightsworn Sabre) to the Graveyard to destroy up to two cards on the field. So I choose to destroy Cursed Fig and Airkinght Parshath."

Both monsters were instantly destroyed after Celestia released a flash of light from her staff.

"Also, since Lightsworn Sabre was sent to the Graveyard, I can automatically equip it to Wulf, increasing its ATK by 700 for a total of 2800 ATK points."

"Oh crap," Vanessa muttered.

"Not good," Ayaka followed.

"Celestia will now destroy your Cephalotus."

LP (V-5300, A-2550, T-4000, K-1850)

"Now Wulf…"

Ayaka: ("Neither me or Vanessa can afford to get hit by that monster, if it turns out she's fighting both of us, then we have to fight back together.")

"Attack Vanessa directly."

"Great," Vanessa muttered as Wulf charged forward brandishing his sabre.

"I activate Phoenix Wing Wind Blast!" Ayaka announced surprising Vanessa and Tanya. "So I discard my Gigaplant to return your Wulf back to the Deck!"

Vanessa smiled at Ayaka expressing her thanks, but Tanya interrupted the moment.

"That was a nice thing to do Ayaka but I'm afraid I need that attack to go through. So I play my Trap Jammer, which negates the activation of a Trap activated during the Battle Phase."

"Don't think so, I activate my Dark Bribe!" Vanessa announced. "This Trap negates the effect of your Trap Jammer and then you draw a card!"

"Unfortunately for you Vanessa, you will feel my Wulf's wrath whether you like it or not." Kasumi said coldly.

"Come again?"

"I activate Sworn Execution, so I discard a Lightsworn Monster (Jain) to negate your Bribe. Therefore with the completion of the chain, Wulf's attack still goes through."

Vanessa growled as Wulf continued its attack, lifting its sword and slashing downwards on Vanessa who went down to one knee.

LP (V-2500, A-2550, T-4000, K-1850)

"Are you okay?" Ayaka asked in a slightly worried tone.

"I'm fine, takes a lot more than that to keep me down." She replied as she got up. "What else have you got Kasumi?"

"I play one card face-down and end my turn."

"Vanessa is doing all right, but the last turn as really put her on the back foot." Kazuma said as he continued watching.

"Yeah, she has to come up with a comeback plan soon, or she will be eliminated!" Shinji followed.

"I don't think you should be worrying about that too much." Ryusei added in a cool manner.

"What do you mean?"

"Despite this duel being a four-way match, it seems to be developing into a tag-team match. Especially with what's been happening in the last few turns. So even if Vanessa doesn't pull out anything now, I'm sure that Ayaka will protect her."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because that's Ayaka's nature."

Vanessa drew her card to start the beginning of her turn and drew Card Destruction. After looking at her hand she decided to take a risk and go for it.

"I play Card Destruction, so everyone discards their hand and draws the same cards that they discarded."

(Vanessa-3 cards, Ayaka-3 cards, Tanya-2 cards, Kasumi-0)

Everyone discarded their hands and then drew their cards, with Vanessa performing a defensive move to finish her turn.

"I summon Bountiful Artemis (1600/1700) in defense mode! I then set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Ayaka drew her card and then went on the offensive.

"I play Swing Of Memories which allows me to summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard, so I choose Gigaplant (2400/1200)! I now give up my Normal Summon to second summon my Gigaplant, turning it into an Effect Monster!"

A blue light surrounded Gigaplant to determine the switch from Normal Monster to Effect Monster.

"Now I activate Gigaplant's effect! Once per turn, I can summon a Plant monster from my hand or Graveyard. So I will summon Botanical Lion (1600/2000) from my Graveyard in attack mode!"

A lion-like monster appeared onto the field. However, its body was made up of a tree trunk, with branches as legs. Also the lion's mane was made out of red roses.

"Botanical Lion gains 300 ATK for each Plant Monster I control. So since I control two, its attack goes up by 600 (2200/2000). Now my Lion, go and attack that Crystal Beast!"

The lion stormed forward and pounced on the Cat. It then bit the Cat, causing it to scream and then shatter, along with Crystal Release.

LP (V-2500, A-2550, T-3800, K-1850)

A raw amethyst stone appeared next to Tanya but she also had something else to say.

"When Crystal Release is destroyed I can place a Crystal Beast from my Deck to my Spell Zone, so Cobalt Eagle will join the party."

A cobalt stone now appeared on the other side of Tanya.

"I next play The World Tree. When a Plant monster gets destroyed my Tree gets a Flower Counter. How many I get depends on what effect I can activate, so I'll guess you'll have to wait to see what it can do."

"Is there anything else?" A bored Tanya asked.

"I now activate Fragrance Storm, so by destroying my Gigaplant I can draw a card, which also gives my Tree a Flower Counter."

As Gigaplant shattered into many pieces a flower blossomed on Ayaka's tree. Afterwards she drew her card and revealed Lonefire Blossom to her opponents.

"One more thing; if I draw a Plant monster from Fragrance Storm's effect, I can reveal it to all of you to draw another card."

"Are you gonna finish sometime this century?" An agitated Tanya asked.

"I now end my turn with a face-down." Ayaka replied, unfazed by Tanya's behaviour.

"Finally, my turn," Tanya said with relief.

"I activate Rare Value. If I have two or more Crystal Beasts in my Spell Zone my opponent sends one of them to the Graveyard, I can then draw two cards. So Vanessa, choose a Crystal Beast please."

"I choose Amethyst Cat!" She replied confidently. The amethyst stone vanished from the field and Tanya drew her two cards.

"I next play Crystal Beacon. If I have two or more Crystals in my Spell Zone, I can Special Summon a Crystal Beast from my Deck."

"How many Crystal Beasts are there?" Vanessa asked in an irritated manner. Tanya just ignored her and continued her move.

"I summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (1800/1200) in attack mode. Then its effect kicks in, allowing me to place a Crystal Beast in my Spell Zone, so I choose Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle (300/300)."

Sapphire Pegasus' horn started to glow and then a ruby stone appeared on the field, which was now the third stone on Tanya's field.

"I now lay a face-down and then summon Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger (1600/1000). Topaz Tiger, attack Botanical Lion now!"

As Topaz Tiger charged forward, Ayaka countered the attack with a play of her own.

"I play my Trap, Plant Food Chain! When this is activated it becomes an equip card to a Plant monster, giving it 500 additional ATK points (Botanical Lion-2400/2000)!"

"Damn," Tanya muttered. "Luckily my Topaz takes less damage as it gains another 400 ATK when it attacks a monster (2000/1000)."

Topaz launched itself for the attack but Botanical Lion roared out a storm of red roses which destroyed the Tiger. It then became a raw orange stone on the field.

LP (V-2500, A-2550, T-3400, K-1850)

"Oh well, Sapphire Pegasus attacks Bountiful Artemis!"

"I activate Negate Attack, which ends your Battle Phase!" a vortex appeared on the field which blew Tanya's Pegasus back to her side of the field.

"Then my monster's effect allows me to draw a card every time a Counter Trap is activated."

"Huh, so much for that turn, I end my turn with a face-down."

As usual Kasumi drew her card sharply and silently. She then moved straight into the Battle Phase.

"Celestia, attack Bountiful Artemis, with Righteous Beam."

Celestia twirled her staff until it started glowing in preparation to attack.

"Sorry Kasumi, but since I have another Negate Attack face-down, I might as well play it to stop your monster."

Kasumi glared at the Trap as her Battle Phase ended. Vanessa gave her a smug smile in an attempt to get under Kasumi's skin.

"I then get to draw again, courtesy of Bountiful Artemis."

"I set a monster face-down and end my turn."

"So what do you think so far?" Yuri asked Hayate.

"It's been interesting enough." He replied.

"Got any ideas on a winner?" Tasuku followed afterwards.

"Maybe I do," He said in an intriguing manner while looking at Ayaka.

Elsewhere in the stadium, Ryusei was watching the duel but had a slightly concerned face for some reason.

"Is something wrong Ryusei?" Shinji asked.

"I don't know."

"Care to elaborate?" Kazuma added, interested to know Ryusei's thoughts.

"I can't help but think about that girl. She's played a load of weak monsters so far and they all remain on the field for some reason."

"So you're thinking…?"

"That maybe she's setting everyone up for a Trap, plus I feel that face-down she has could be a key card."

Vanessa drew her card and started her turn.

"I play Pot Of Greed, so I get to draw two cards."

Vanessa drew her two cards and smiled as she got a potential game breaking card.

"Ha! I activate this Spell, Lightning Vortex!"

"Shit," Kasumi muttered as the other competitors looked stunned.

"Now by discarding my Meltiel (1600/1200) I can destroy all face-up monsters that my opponents control!" A vortex appeared on the field and fired multiple lightning strikes causing all monsters to explode.

"Since Botanical Lion was destroyed I get to place another Flower Counter on my World Tree!" Ayaka announced, as another flower blossomed on the tree.

"I now release my Artemis to summon another Airkinght Parshath (1900/1400). But then I release my Airknight to Special Summon my Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin (2300/2000)!"

Airknight glowed bright yellow before morphing into a new, more powerful warrior. The monster had a robotic face with feathers replacing its legs and blue/gold armour on his chest. It was equipped with a sword and a blue/gold shield and had a bright gold halo above its head.

"Now, if my Life Points are higher than my opponent's and Sanctuary In The Sky is out. Neo-Parshath gains ATK equal to the difference between our Life Points. So Kasumi since you're on 1850 and I'm on 2500, Neo Parshath gains 650 for a total of 2950!"

Kasumi looked like that she couldn't care less, but then Vanessa said something that certainly got her attention.

"Another thing, Neo-Parshath also inflicts the difference between its ATK and a monster's DEF as Battle Damage. Go Neo-Parshath; attack Kasumi's face-down with Resurgent Radiance!"

Neo-Parshath absorbed light particles to its halo and fired an almighty blast of white light at Kasumi's monster.

"Sorry Vanessa," Tanya interrupted, startling Vanessa. "But since you attacked I have to activate my Last Resort Trap Card."

"Last Resort?"

"Yeah, I can activate this when an opponent declares an attack. This Trap allows me to take a certain Field Spell from my Deck and activate it."

"What?!"

"So you can draw a card and say bye to your Sanctuary," Vanessa drew her card as her Sanctuary dissolved into nothingness (Neo-Parshath 2300/2000).

"And you can say hello to Ancient City Rainbow Ruins!" the field was now enveloped in clouds again with another temple. But this time a rainbow arc was painted across the sky. Neo-Parshath's attack still continued and hit Kasumi's monster which turned out to be Morphing Jar (700/600).

LP (V-2500, A-2550, T-3400, K-150)

"When Morphing Jar is flipped each player discards their hand and draws five new cards." As each player did this, Vanessa finished her turn by playing two face-downs.

Ayaka then started her turn by drawing her card.

"I play Miracle Fertilizer, so by giving up my Normal Summon I can summon a Plant monster from my Graveyard, so I summon Lonefire Blossom (500/1400)! I next activate its effect. By releasing it I can summon a Plant monster from my Deck so I choose Tytannial, Princess Of Camellias (2800/2600)!" a woman was revealed, standing in a large, widespread red rose. She wore a pink dress with plant leaves as gloves, and wore a rose crown.

"I now activate the World Tree's effect. By removing one Flower Counter a Plant monster I control gains 400 ATK, so Tytannial is now at 3200! Tytannial, direct attack!"

Tytannial gently lifted her right arm and generated a storm made out of leaves and red roses. They swirled around her arm, forming the shape of a cyclone and then shot across the field, heading for Tanya.

"Since I have two Crystal Beasts in my Spell Zone, Ancient City halves the Battle Damage I take!" The flowers engulfed Tanya who put her arms up for protection.

LP (V-2500, A-2550, T-1800, K-150)

"I end my turn with two face-downs." Ayaka muttered.

"My turn then, firstly since I have four Crystal Beasts in my Spell Zone, Ancient City allows me to draw another card. It's now time to end this duel as I play Crystal Abundance. By sending four Crystal Beasts from my Spell Zone to the Graveyard, I can send all cards on the field to the Graveyard."

"So that's was her plan!" Shinji exclaimed.

"Not happening!" Vanessa declared "As I activate Magic Jammer! So after I discard a card (Guardian Angel Joan) your Spell is negated!"

Tanya's Spell shattered to her disappointment, but she had a Plan B to cover herself.

"I summon Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth (1700/1600) in defense mode; I then set one card face-down and end my turn." When she set her face-down she looked at her watch and realised something.

Tanya: ("Crap, Looks like I'm gonna have to bail pretty soon, and I was just about to play my favourite card to.")

Kasumi drew her card and went on the offensive.

"Since I have four differently named Lightsworn Monsters in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Judgment Dragon (3000/2600)!" As a bright light descended onto the field with the dragon about to appear, Vanessa grasped an opportunity.

"Your dragon is not welcome here! I activate Solemn Judgment, by paying half my Life Points I can negate the summoning of a monster and destroy it!"

LP (V-1250, A-2550, T-1950, K-150)

Kasumi coldly glared at Vanessa as the light subsided, with the dragon failing to appear. However, she was now even more determined to get her way.

"I activate Judgment Calvary, so by removing Jain, Ryko, Wulf and Garoth from play, I can summon Judgment Dragon once again!" This time the menacing dragon was summoned successfully. But this time, Ayaka tried to foil Kasumi's plan.

"You're summoning triggered my face-down, Torrential Tribute!" Ayaka announced. "So now all monsters are destroyed!"

"Sorry Ayaka, but due to my Ancient City being on the field, with three Crystals in my Spell Zone, I can negate your Trap by sending Amber Mammoth to the Graveyard."

Ayaka had a frustrated look on her face, which then turned to concern after looking at Kasumi's monster.

"Now, Judgment Dragon, attack her directly!" Kasumi announced as she pointed at Tanya.

"This is how you repay me after I saved your monster?"

"I told you not to expect any compassion from me."

Judgment Dragon roared out a cyclone of white fire, Tanya then had a good long look at her face-down, which Vanessa and Ayaka noticed. But Tanya saw the time on her watch yet again and really had to leave, no matter what. Therefore, she reluctantly decided to throw the duel by taking the damage full on."

LP (V-1250, A-2550, T-0, K-150)

"Damn," she muttered. "Looks like that's game over for me, a shame I couldn't last a little bit longer." Tanya deactivated her Duel Disk and was applauded by the crowd as she left the field."

Ayaka and Vanessa were confused with what just happened. They both felt that Tanya could have prevented Kasumi's attack but chose not to. Kasumi then finished her turn abruptly.

Regaining her focus, Vanessa prepared for her turn, knowing she had to draw something great to take out Kasumi's dragon. She took a deep breath and prepared to draw.

Ryusei: ("Come on Vanessa, believe in yourself!")

She drew her card and smiled instantly after seeing it.

"I play Monster Reborn, so I can resurrect my Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin!"

"You're monster is nowhere near strong enough." Kasumi said in her usual cold fashion.

"That doesn't matter." Vanessa replied smugly.

"Why doesn't it matter?"

"Because you're about to be eliminated,"

"I don't believe you."

"Well you better believe it as I activate this Spell Card, Surge Of Radiance! By releasing my Neo-Parshath, you take damage equal to its ATK. Therefore, everyone takes 2300 points of damage!"

"Crap," Kasumi muttered.

Neo-Parshath was emitting an immense white light before exploding which sent shockwaves across the field inflicting damage to the other girls.

LP (V-1250, A-250, K-0)

"She did it!" Shinji yelled happily.

Ryusei and Kazuma smiled whilst the crowd cheered for the second elimination. Kai slumped into his seat, knowing that he's lost and is likely that he will have to pay Yuji.

"You seem quiet Kai, something the matter?" Yuji asked in a sympathetic manner.

"Shut up!" Kai answered back, making Yuji chuckle.

Kasumi deactivated her Disk and walked off to the applause of the audience. As a parting gift, she gave an evil glare at Vanessa who just cheekily waved her goodbye. Vanessa then turned her focus back to the duel.

"Looks like it's just us two Ayaka, so may the best girl win." Vanessa said happily.

"Indeed, do you end your turn?"

"Not yet, I play Smashing Ground which destroys the monster with the highest DEF on the field. So say bye to Tytannial."

A large yellow fist came from above and smashed Tytannial into pieces. Ayaka wasn't too pleased seeing the destruction of her monster.

"Now I end my turn."

"Fine, I draw. I summon Tuner monster, Nettles (1200/400)! Nettles, attack Vanessa directly!"

The patches of grass hopped forward and jumped to hit Vanessa in the face.

LP (V-50, A-250)

"I end my turn, Vanessa."

"If Vanessa gets a monster with 1500 attack or more, she'll win." Kazuma revealed.

"That's true; I hope she can do it." Shinji followed.

Ryusei watched on silently, knowing from first hand experience that Ayaka can be quite cunning when required. So he hoped Vanessa would be careful in making her next move.

"How about that, looks like you're prediction was wrong Hayate." Tasuku cheekily said.

"I never predicted that Kasumi or that other girl would win."

"What?!"

Vanessa took a deep breath and looked at her Deck.

Vanessa: ("All I need is a monster with 1500 ATK or more and then I can win. My Deck hasn't let me down yet so please don't fail me now.")

She drew her card slowly and flipped it over; she gave a little smile as she saw her card.

"I summon Harvest The Angel Of Wisdom (1800/1000)! Harvest, end this duel now by attacking Nettles!"

Some members of the crowd got off their seats to witness the final blow. Harvest put his horn to its mouth and blew out sound waves aiming at Nettles.

"Sorry Vanessa, but I activate my face-down, Dimension Wall!"

"No!"

"I'm afraid so, therefore you take all Battle Damage I would have taken this turn."

The sound waves destroyed Nettles but then went inside a black hole. The black hole then appeared in front of Vanessa and blasted the waves back at her, forcing her down to one knee.

LP (V-0, A-250)

The crowd created a deafening cheer in appreciation of an excellent duel. Everyone then stood up and applauded as congratulations to Ayaka.

"THE DUEL IS OVER, THE WINNER IS AYAKA UCHIHA!!" The announcer yelled.

"That is who I predicted." Hayate revealed before leaving his seat.

"It's a real shame Vanessa didn't win" Shinji said.

"She has nothing to be ashamed of, she should be proud of herself for proving she can battle with the best." Ryusei then added which made Shinji smile.

Ayaka walked up to Vanessa and held her hand out. Vanessa then got up and with a smile she shook Ayaka's hand. As she shook the hand, Ayaka then pulled her in for a hug.

"Thanks for a great duel Vanessa."

"Likewise, I had a real good time."

As they broke their hug they smiled each other showing their gratitude as they will remember this duel for a long time to come.

End Of Chapter

ORIGINAL CARDS

Judgment Calvary  
Normal Spell  
Remove from play 4 differently named "Lightsworn" Monsters. Special Summon "Judgment Dragon" from your Graveyard.

Surge Of Radiance  
Normal Spell  
When this card is activated select 1 of the following effects:  
- Release 2 Fairy-Type Monsters you control to Special Summon a "Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin" from your Deck or Graveyard.  
- Send a "Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin" you control to the Graveyard. Inflict damage equal to its ATK.


	22. Chapter 21 Request Of An Old Flame

"Feel the pain of a decade of hatred upon your form! Judgment Dragon, Judgment Blaze!!"

Judgment Dragon roared out an intense cyclone of white fire, engulfing Reina. She screamed in pain and eventually disintegrated within the fire until there was nothing left, except for her Duel Disk which slowly fell to the ground.

LP (0/3000)

Kasumi panted for a short while, before taking a deep breath to settle down. She looked up to the sky to see the dark clouds breaking apart. Soon after, the sky turned into a sky blue colour and radiant sunshine descended onto the earth. As Kasumi felt the sun shining on her face, she felt a sense of relief. Like a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders, as she wanted to release her rage against her mother for so long.

Suddenly she noticed that her Duel Disk started to glow a bright blue colour. The light got so intense that Kasumi couldn't see anything. She covered her eyes but the light grew larger and brighter, until the entire street was encased within it.

Kasumi then opened her eyes, realising that she was lying down. She slowly raised herself up and noticed she was in her bed. She looked around and saw that she was back in her room, in the middle of the night. She sighed in response, figuring that she just had a dream. However, she had an indescribable feeling. It was almost alien to her as for years she had always felt hatred, anguish and pain every morning she woke up. Now, all those emotions had seemingly vanished, and she does not know why or how this has occurred.

She ran her hand through her hair but then noticed something on her right arm. As she moved it slowly in front of her she was amazed to see a mark on her arm. She immediately recalled the shape from the meeting with Vydia earlier today. This was the mark that Vydia described as the mark of a Guardian. Before she could contemplate what she was seeing, she saw one of her drawers to her left was opened. She leaned over and pulled the drawer out further and saw a card was laid horizontally across her Deck. As she picked it up and flipped it over, she was shell shocked to see a Synchro Monster. What was significant was that the monster card was actually the dragon that she had been dreaming about.

Kasumi: ("Ancient…Fairy…Dragon.")

**Chapter 21-Request Of An Old Flame**

Location: South Sapporo High School

As the second door closed, Hayate found himself in familiar surroundings. He started looking around and gathered that he was in an empty school. However, with the way the hallway looked, with the lockers at the walls, he then realised where he was. He was back at his high school in Sapporo.

He walked down the eerily quiet hallway, with every footstep echoing around the entire building. He eventually reached the locker he used to have in his school days. He walked up to it and touched it, bringing back some of the good memories of his time here. He gave a little smile as he moved on through the hallway.

He reached the end of the hallway and turned left to face the double door entrance of the school. He walked to it and pushed the doors wide open. As he stepped outside it revealed a hot sunny day, with clear blue skies. Hayate walked down the steps and noticed a girl was standing further ahead, with her back turned, looking out at the road. She was wearing a purple t-shirt, dark brown trousers with matching shoes and had long wavy dark brown hair, reaching her lower back. Hayate reached the bottom of the steps and called out to the girl.

"Hey! Are you all right?"

The girl had no response; she continued watching the road as her hair was softly blown by a small breeze. Hayate walked up to the girl and asked her.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?"

"Waiting for you," The girl softly replied.

Hayate looked confused until the girl turned around. Hayate's eyes became widened in disbelief, as he knew who the girl was.

"Hey Hayate,"

"Yuuka?!" Hayate asked, still in shock after seeing her.

"It's so good to see you." She replied and went to hug him tightly.

Hayate didn't respond to the hug by keeping his arms by his side. When Yuuka broke off the hug, she saw Hayate was now wearing a serious face. He then asked her,

"What are you doing here?"

"I already told you, I was waiting for you."

"Sure, and I'm supposed to just believe that?"

"It's the truth,"

"Then why were you waiting for me?"

Yuuka paused and walked past Hayate, changing the subject.

"Do you remember the time we spent here together?"

"Save the trip down memory lane, what do you want?"

Yuuka still ignored him and continued on as she turned to face him.

"Some of my happiest times were back here, at school, when I was with you."

Hayate folded his arms in a defensive stance, showing his refusal to discuss the topic.

"Come on Hayate," Yuuka softly said as she walked up to him. "You can't deny that we had good times here."

Hayate still didn't answer as she stood in front of him. She then placed her right hand against his cheek and asked with very soft, gazing eyes,

"We were happy here, weren't we?"

Hayate didn't want to answer, but looking into her eyes brought back his past feelings for her.

"Yeah…we were," he answered in a quiet tone.

Yuuka softly smiled at Hayate's answer. She then tip-toed to make herself taller and gave Hayate a soft, gentle kiss on the lips.

"I've missed you so much," she whispered as she hugged him again.

This time Hayate embraced the moment. However, during that hug, flashes of her betrayal went through his mind. He immediately broke off the hug and started to walk away.

"What's wrong?" She asked, bewildered by Hayate's actions.

Hayate didn't answer her question and headed for the road to find a way out of here.

"You still haven't forgiven me have you?" Yuuka followed, causing Hayate to stop. He turned around and answered back.

"What do you think?!"

"Hayate…I'm,"

"You…cheated on me! You betrayed me! And to top it off it was with my best friend!" He said as he stormed up to her.

Yuuka gave a tiresome sigh and tried to reply back.

"Hayate, I'm…"

"Sorry?" Hayate interrupted. "I know, you've said it like a million times, but it doesn't change anything. What you did that night, I can't forgive you for it. No matter what you do or how I feel about you, I just can't."

"Actually, I wasn't going to say sorry." Yuuka answered in a serious tone.

"You weren't?"

"No, I was going to say I'm tired. As you said, I've apologised to you like a million times but you never accepted it. So I'm done trying."

"And is that supposed to make me feel guilty?"

"No, but that attitude of yours will hurt others when the time comes."

"What are you talking about?"

"Despite my mistake, my ONLY mistake, you never had faith in us!"

"What?!"

"You never believed that we could work through it. You doubted the strength of our relationship so you decided to cut your ties before giving it a chance."

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is; it was your lack of faith that ended it Hayate!"

"I ended it because I couldn't bear being with you! Every time I saw you I would remember that moment, and I would rather finish the relationship than relive that memory every single day!"

"I'm guessing that applied to Kazuma as well?"

"Why are you bringing him into it?!"

"Because that is another thing Hayate, you have personally held a grudge against him since that day."

"So what if I have? He was the one person I trusted the most and he destroyed that trust the moment he kissed you."

"And holding onto that has made you a bitter person. You have strived to only focus on yourself, removing anyone that gets in the way of your goals. The fact of the matter is, continuing in this way will lead you to darkness and suffering."

"I don't have to listen to this!"

"But you do Hayate, because the way you currently are, is the reason why you are here. You need to change."

"What are you talking about?"

"You need to change back to the way you used to be, back into the Hayate I fell in love with."

Hayate then replied in a low, cold voice.

"Unfortunately, that person died a long time ago, and you're the one that killed him."

Yuuka's face turned very serious and she walked away from Hayate. She then stopped and turned around to say,

"Fine, I've guess I've got no choice." She held her out her left arm and particles of light shone on her arm, forming into a Duel Disk which was then activated.

"How did you…"

"If you can't see the error of your ways then I will force you to change."

"Come on Yuuka, this is silly. You don't even know how to duel. In fact, you hated Duel Monsters when we were together."

"Looks like you don't know me as well as you think you do."

"Well it doesn't make a difference anyway, I can't duel you with nothing."

"Go to your locker." Yuuka ordered, pointing towards the school.

Hayate wondered why she told him that but followed her order anyway. He went inside the school and to his old locker. He opened it after remembering the combination and was surprised to see a Duel Disk and Deck inside. After sifting through the Deck, he realised that this was his actual Deck.

Hayate: ("Looks like she's serious about this. Knowing Yuuka, this shouldn't be a problem, but something doesn't feel right.")

Hayate put on the Duel Disk and headed outside. He then shuffled his Deck as he stood in position, ready to duel.

"Are you sure that you want to go through with this?" he asked as he inserted his Deck and activated his Duel Disk.

"If I have to, then yes."

"Duel!" they both shouted as they drew their five cards.

LP (Hayate-4000/Yuuka-4000)

"You can go first." Hayate said in a polite way, as he wasn't taking Yuuka seriously.

"No thanks, I would prefer it if you start."

"Fine then," Hayate drew his card and made his first move.

"I summon Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV4 (1600/1000)! I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn then," Yuuka drew her card and studied her hand.

"I summon Winged Sage Falcos (1700/1200) in attack mode!"

A peculiar dark brown falcon was then summoned to the field. It was wearing a white robe with red/gold trimmings and a red/gold hat.

"Winged Sage Falcos will attack your Horus!" The monster flew up in the air gracefully. It then did a swooping attack, striking Horus and shattering it.

LP (3900/4000)

"My monster's effect now activates! When it destroys a monster in attack mode as a result of battle, I can return it to the top of your Deck."

Hayate wondered about her strategy as he placed Horus back on his Deck.

"I next play a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn then! I summon Horus The Black Flame Dragon (1600/1000) back to the field. I then play Level Up! So I send it to the Graveyard to summon Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV6 (2300/1600) from my Deck! Horus, attack her Falcos with Black Flame!"

"You triggered my Trap Hayate, Compulsory Evacuation Device! This allows me to return a monster on the field back to the hand, so Horus returns to you."

Hayate gritted his teeth as Horus was sent back to his hand.

"I end my turn," he muttered.

"Good, my turn then. I summon Flying Kamakiri #1 (1400/1500) in attack mode!" A giant red and green dragonfly appeared, with sharp claws on each of its limbs, and large orange beady eyes.

"Both monsters will wage a direct attack to you, Hayate!"

"That's not happening, thanks to my Waboku! This card prevents me from taking any Battle Damage this turn!"

Yuuka accepted the play and gave a gentle smile, annoying Hayate.

"What are you smiling at?!"

"Do I need a reason to smile? When was the last time you smiled Hayate? As in the last time you smiled because you were happy."

"None of your business!" He answered fiercely;

"I end my turn with a face-down, your go Hayate."

Hayate drew his card silently and made his move.

"I set a monster face-down and a card face-down, your go."

"In your End Phase I reveal my face-down card! Spiritual Wind Art-Miyabi! Now by releasing my Kamakiri I can return your face-down card to the bottom of your Deck."

Hayate grumbled annoyingly as the face-down card was Mirror Force.

"My turn," a smiling Yuuka announced. "I play Pot Of Greed so I draw two cards. I then summon Eagle Eye (1300/1200)!" A purplish black bird flew into the air. As it descended it was revealed to have a gold head, claws and a tail, with a blue beak and intense red eyes.

"When this card is summoned successfully, you can't activate any Traps this turn."

Hayate was almost bewildered by the way Yuuka was duelling because so far, she's been playing fairly well.

"Winged Sage Falcos, attack Hayate's face-down!"

The monster flew up and swooped down again, but this time it struck a black cloaked woman and fell back.

"You attacked my Gravekeeper's Spy (1200/2000)!"

LP (3900/3700)

"And when it's flipped I can summon another Gravekeeper's monster from my Deck, like another Gravekeeper's Spy (1200/200) in defense mode!"

"Huh, I end my turn with a face-down."

"My turn! I now play Pot Of Greed, so I also get to draw two cards! I then release one of my Spies so I can summon Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV6 (2300/1600)!"

"Go Counter Trap! Forced Back, which negates your summon and sends it back to your hand!"

Hayate growled loudly in pure frustration as Horus returned back to his hand.

"I end my turn with a face-down."

"Now I believe it's my turn." As Yuuka drew her card, Hayate was beginning to wonder what was happening.

Hayate: ("This doesn't make any sense at all. She's duelling expertly so far; she would put some of the duellists at uni to shame. But how is that possible? She loathed Duel Monsters! There is no way she could become this good!")

"Is something the matter?" Yuuka asked pleasantly.

"Nothing, just make your move."

"Hayate, when you have a problem why can't you just talk about it? You always did that when we were together. You can't deal with everything on your own."

"I've been managing just fine on my own."

"Well soon you're going to have to rely on others to help you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Well do you need reminding that you're supposed to be a Guardian?"

Hayate was stunned into a frozen state after hearing that question.

"So normally you will have to rely on the help of your fellow Guardians to fight, or am I wrong?" Yuuka continued.

"How…did….you know?"

"I just do, but Hayate, I'm sorry to say that you can't be a Guardian."

"Why not?"

"Because you don't have what it takes to be one,"

"What?"

"You have no faith in anyone; you only care about yourself, plus you don't even want to be a Guardian, need I say more?"

Hayate had a serious face after Yuuka's explanation. As much as he wanted to deny it, he knew she was right on all counts.

"So if that's the case, why on earth have you been chosen to be a Guardian?"

"Do you think I wanted to be one?!"

"Well, do you?"

Hayate's silence gave Yuuka the answer that she didn't want to hear. She shook her head in disappointment and said,

"That's why you need to change, you can't hide from your destiny Hayate. "Whether you like it or not you have been chosen, so you must accept your duty."

"Look, I didn't stick around to be lectured about fate, destiny or whatever! So keep your opinions to yourself, and make your move!"

Yuuka obliged by continuing her move. I release my Eagle Eye to summon Raiza The Storm Monarch (2400/1000)!" A mechanical bird appeared, wearing a humanoid robotic suit coloured in different shades of green. It had quite an imposing stance as the winds it generated blew its cape violently.

"When Raiza is summoned successfully, I can return a card on the field to the top of your Deck so I will choose your face-down."

Raiza shot out strong winds from its hand, blowing away Hayate's face-down to the top of his Deck.

"Now that's out of the way, Raiza will attack your Gravekeeper's Spy." Raiza did the same motion, instantly blowing away the monster and destroying it.

"Now Winged Sage Falcos will wage a direct attack!"

The falcon gracefully flew up into the air and swooped down, striking Hayate in the chest.

LP (2200/3700)

Hayate held his chest as he recovered from the attack, thinking about how he needs to turn this duel around.

Hayate: ("I cannot play anything! Every time I put something down, she just sends it back! It almost seems like she knows that my Deck relies on field presence. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that I have to break this cycle, and do it soon.")

Elsewhere, in the streets of Domino a white limousine was cruising through the town in the moonlit night. Inside the back of the limousine was Valon, reading a company report on his laptop for a meeting he's holding in a couple of days. As he was reaching the end of the report, he heard his phone ringing. He picked it up and recognised the number that was calling. He answered the phone and the person who called was a woman. She started the conversation by saying,

"I got your message."

"How is the search going?" Valon replied.

"I haven't been able to fully immerse myself into it, but there is nothing to report back at the moment."

"And why is that?"

"I've had other things to take care of first."

"You know that we can't waste too much time on this. The earlier we know the better it will be for us."

"I understand; I will make it my priority as of tomorrow."

"Good."

"Is that all you wanted?"

"One more thing, before you start your search I want you to look into the competitors of the tournament that happened a few months ago."

"Why?"

"Just a hunch,"

"I understand. I will call you when I've found something."

Valon hanged up the phone and with a little smile, went back to his report.

Back in South Sapporo, Hayate was about to start his turn, when Yuuka interrupted him.

"So what's the verdict?"

"On what?"

"Are you going to change?"

"Why should I? I've got through my life fine the way I am."

"Hayate…"

"Stop it Yuuka; you're not going to change my mind. I like who I am and I'm not going to change because you or some random woman says some things she heard in a bedtime story. Anyway, my move!"

Hayate drew his card sharply, and remembered it was the face-down that was returned to him, so he decided to go with a different strategy.

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"No monster Hayate? I'm surprised. I remember when you tried to teach me this game. I especially remember you telling me that you should always have a monster to defend yourself."

"Heh, if you feel that I'm defenceless, then feel free to attack me." He replied in a really smug manner.

Yuuka was unsure whether he was bluffing, she drew her card and then figured a way to find out for sure.

"I release my Falcos so that I can summon Swift Birdman Joe (2300/1400)!" a half man/half bird creature was summoned. It had a male head and body with red, green and yellow hair. However it also had wings and claws with the same colours as the hair.

"When my Birdman is summoned by releasing a WIND monster, I can return all Spells and Traps to the owner's hand."

Hayate was taken aback by the monster's effect but reacted quickly so that he wasn't defenceless.

"I flip my face-down, Scapegoat! This summons four Sheep Tokens (0/0) to my side of the field in defense mode!"

Four different coloured, mini sheep appeared on the field as the other face-down was returned to Hayate's hand.

"Looks like you weren't bluffing; Raiza and Joe will attack two of your tokens!"

Both monsters shot out a blast of wind from their palms which instantly shattered Hayate's tokens.

"I end my turn with a face-down."

Hayate groaned slightly at the situation he was currently in. However he refused to give up and his determination was rewarded by the next card he drew.

"First I play Enemy Controller, so I release a token to take control of your Raiza!" A sheep token disintegrated as a joypad appeared on the field. It entered a quick combination of buttons and Raiza then went to Hayate's field against its will.

"I now play Lightning Vortex, discarding Horus LV6. So now all your monsters are destroyed!"

Yuuka gasped as a Lightning Strike came and struck down her monster.

"Next I release Raiza to summon Prime Material Dragon (2400/2000)! Prime Material, attack her directly with Primal Flame Roar!" Prime Material roared out an intensely bright orange flame which engulfed Yuuka.

LP (2200/1300)

"I end my turn," Hayate declared.

Yuuka drew her card and said quietly,

"I set a monster face-down and end my turn."

"Disappointed are we? The fact is that you should have never have challenged me, Yuuka. You're way out of your league here."

"It never pays to be cocky Hayate," she replied in a chilling tone, slightly aggrieving Hayate.

He attempted to shrug it off by drawing and moving straight to battle.

"Prime Material attacks your face-down now!"

The monster roared out another bright flame, this time destroying Yuuka's Flying Kamakiri #1.

"When my Kamakiri is destroyed I can summon a WIND monster with 1500 ATK or less in attack mode, so I choose Whirlwind Prodigy (1500/1600)!" A boy appeared, wearing a brown shirt and white trousers, generating a force of wind around him.

Hayate: ("She's obviously planning something, but her hand is empty. There is no way she can formulate a strategy with no hand. Unless her face-down…")

"Have you finished yet?" Yuuka shouted out, interrupting Hayate's thoughts.

"I set a monster face-down and end my turn."

"My turn then, Whirlwind Prodigy attacks your face-down monster!"

The monster created a ball of wind and threw it at the monster, revealing Morphing Jar (700/600).

"When Morphing Jar is flipped both of us discard our hands and draw five new cards."

"Fine, but that was a fatal error on your part Hayate."

"And why is that?"

"You'll see; I end my turn by setting a card face-down."

"My turn, draw! First I set a card face-down. Prime Material Dragon attack Whirlwind Prodigy! Primal Flame Roar!"

"Activate Phoenix Wing Wind Blast! I discard Battlestorm so that I can return your monster to the top of your Deck!"

Hayate growled as the wing of a phoenix appeared and flapped to create gale force winds. Prime Material was blown back and ended up on top of Hayate's Deck.

"Anything else?"

"Actually there is, I summon Phantom Of Chaos (0/0)! I use its effect to remove from play a monster in my Graveyard and my Phantom gets its name, stats and effect! Therefore, I remove Horus LV6 (2300/1600) so that my Phantom becomes Horus LV6!"

The black cloud morphed into a black clone of Horus LV6, which released a powerful roar.

"Next I play Levolution! So I remove from play my Horus so that I can summon from my Deck, Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV8 (3000/1800)!!" The dragon was summoned to the field and made a vicious roar, but Yuuka gave a little smile, concerning Hayate.

"Go Trap Card, Royal Oppression!"

"NO!" Hayate shouted.

"I'm afraid so, so by paying a minor 800 Life Points, I can negate the summoning of your monster and destroy it!"

LP (2200/500)

Horus roared in pain as it slowly fell to the ground and shattered.

"Damn you!"

Yuuka gave a little chuckle, which made Hayate incensed.

"What is so funny?!!"

"You are, Hayate. You give the impression that you didn't care about anything or anyone. The fact that you are getting worked up because I destroyed a monster just makes me laugh."

"Some things have more meaning than people can understand."

"Exactly Hayate, which is why you have to accept your responsibility and become a Guardian."

"Great, another lecture is just what I need."

"It is what you need. For whatever odd reason, you have been chosen for this task."

"So?"

"So you have to do it! But surprisingly, you keep denying it. I'm guessing maybe you don't care about anyone enough to save them."

Hayate raised an eyebrow at Yuuka's statement, thinking where that came from.

"Am I right to assume that you don't care about your family enough, or your closest friends?"

"Of course I do!!" Hayate yelled to defend himself.

"Obviously not enough as you continue to refuse your destiny! You accepted your Dragon because you wanted its power. But now when the time comes for you to use it, you would rather have nothing to do with it. But it doesn't matter anymore as I'm tired. I tried to help you but you're too stubborn to see the error of your ways. So I hope you lose, and your friends and family can suffer the consequences of your stupidity."

"Now wait a minute…!"

"Draw, time to end this duel!"

"Yuuka…!"

"Whirlwind Prodigy's effect activates, when summoning a WIND monster, my Prodigy can count as 2 releases instead of one!"

"Damn it!"

"So I release my Prodigy in order to summon, Simorgh, Bird Of Ancestry (2900/2000)!" A large golden bird flew up in the air, with widespread wings and an emerald necklace hanging off its neck. It descended on to the field with an authoritative posture. Each feather on its body; radiated a golden light, brightening the area surrounding it.

"When my Simorgh is summoned by releasing WIND monsters, I can return two cards on your field to the hand!"

"Say, what?!" Hayate exclaimed.

Simorgh intensified its radiant light which then was forcing Hayate's token and his face-down off the field.

"I activate my Shrink! So Simorgh's attack is cut in half!"

Simorgh (1450/2000) then blew away the token, destroying it in the process.

"Simorgh, attack Hayate directly with Golden Gale!"

Yuuka's monster lifted its wings in the air and flapped it once. The flap created an intense wind which enveloped Hayate, causing him to be blown over.

LP (750/500)

"I'm going to ask you one more time, are you going to change and accept who you are meant to be?" Yuuka asked.

As Hayate struggled to get up, he delayed his answer after remembering what Yuuka said earlier about his family. So he decided to be honest.

"Firstly, I'll tell you this. What you ask of me, is something that I can't do. I can't change back to the person I used to be, the person you fell in love with. Because now, I see the world differently to when I saw it back then. So even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to."

Yuuka felt disheartened, after hearing Hayate say this.

Hayate looked into Yuuka's depressed eyes and his feelings for her came flooding back. All he wanted to do was hold her and say that everything will be okay. But he knew that he couldn't do it. So he continued on by saying,

"However, that doesn't mean I don't have what it takes to be a Guardian. I've always risen above anything that stood in my way, no matter how hard they may be! That part of me will never change! So if this Guardian thing turns out to be true, it will just be another challenge in my life that I will deal with!"

Yuuka didn't react to Hayate's statement. But accepted that she cannot change Hayate back to the way he was, so in the end she gave up and left it to fate to decide what happens now.

"Fine, I end my turn. This next turn determines your fate Hayate. It will prove whether you have what it takes to be a Guardian, so make your move."

"I don't believe that! What I do believe is that your Simorgh is the challenge that's currently presented to me! So I will prove that I'm a man of my word by taking it down, right here, right now!"

Hayate looked at his Deck and wished for a card to turn this duel around.

Hayate: ("This is it, my final draw. If I don't pull something now it's all over. But I have to do this no matter what!")

Hayate drew his card sharply, declaring his turn. He flipped it over and looked at his card. Yuuka wondered what Hayate drew but couldn't tell because of his poker-style face.

"I play Hand Destruction, so each player sends two cards from their hand to the Graveyard to draw two cards."

Hayate sent, Twin Headed Behemoth and Engulfing Black Flames to the Graveyard with Yuuka sending her two cards also. Yuuka then drew her two cards as Hayate delayed his draw. He took a deep breath and strongly drew his two cards. As he flipped them over slowly to reveal the cards, he smiled at what they were, concerning Yuuka.

"When I draw this card outside of my Draw Phase I can Special Summon it directly to the field, so come forth Greedo Draconis (200/300)!" An orange playful, baby dragon appeared with an extremely large stomach for its size. It had orange wings that were blue on the underside and had short tail with spikes all over it.

"Next I summon Lava Dragon (1600/1200) in defense mode!" A muscle bound purple dragon with multiple legs pounced onto the field. It had vicious green eyes, a large orange spike on its back and its tail had an encasing of hardened lava around it.

"Lava Dragon's effect activates when it's in defense mode. I can release it to summon two Level 3 Dragons to the field, one from my hand and one from my Graveyard. So I summon Twin Headed Behemoth (1500/1200) from my Graveyard, and from my hand I summon Tuner monster, Magna Drago (1400/600)!" a scaly red dragon appeared, with spikes coming out from its ears, letting out a powerful roar, despite its size.

Yuuka didn't really react to Hayate's play as she just saw a bunch of weak monsters.

"I tune my Level 2 Magna Drago, with my Level 3 Behemoth and my Level 2 Draconis!"

Magna Drago exploded into two green rings which descended onto Hayate's remaining monsters. The monsters turned into five white stars which then created a pillar of light.

"Synchro Summon! Flap your wings, Exploder Dragonwing (2400/1600)!" A dark vicious dragon appeared, with red eyes that lusted for battle and bright red wings on the underside.

"You're monster isn't strong enough."

"I know, but when Greedo Draconis is sent to the Graveyard, I can draw a card!" Hayate drew his card and smiled.

"I activate Rush Recklessly, so my Dragonwing gains 700 ATK points (3100/1600)!"

"That's nice Hayate, but losing a few points doesn't bother me. I'll be back next turn."

"There won't be a next turn. When Exploder Dragonwing attacks a monster that is weaker than itself, it can destroy it automatically and then you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack points!"

"But…."

"Sorry Yuuka, but it has to end this way, Exploder Dragonwing! King Storm!!"

The dragon blew out a cyclone of red fire which instantly shattered Simorgh and enveloped Yuuka.

LP (750/0)

As the cyclone continued, Yuuka gave a small smile of happiness at Hayate.

"I love you," she whispered to Hayate.

"Yuuka!"

She then disintegrated with the fire as it burned out, before Hayate could even react. Hayate sighed in a saddened tone and said to himself,

"Yuuka…I also…"

Suddenly, Hayate noticed a light coming from his arm. He rolled up his sleeve to see his mark glowed bright red. It then shot out a ray of red light directly into his eyes, completely stunning him.

Hayate then rose himself up, as he gathered his bearings he realised he was in his bed, back at the dorm. He looked to his left to see a pretty blonde girl fast asleep next to him. He realised it was just a dream and was about to go back to sleep. But he then noticed the light on his desk was on. He got up from bed to turn it off, but he was surprised to see a face-down card on the table. As he picked it up to see it, his eyes became widened in complete disbelief after realising what the card actually was.

"What…the…hell?!"

The card he was looking at turned out to be the same dragon from his dream, aptly named, Red Dragon Archfiend.

End of Chapter

Preview: Ayaka finds herself in the busy streets of Osaka. She then happens to meet someone that says someone was looking for her. Ayaka follows and ends up meeting her older sister, Ayane. Ayane criticises Ayaka's naivety and free-minded nature as being the foundations of her future failures. She then challenges Ayaka to a duel to prove that she's too weak to become a Guardian.

Chapter 22-Tough Love

ORIGINAL CARDS

Levolution  
Normal Spell  
Remove from play 1 face-up monster on your side of the field that has "LV" in its card name. Special Summon the monster that is written in the card text of that monster from your hand, Deck or Graveyard, ignoring the Summoning requirements. The Monster cannot declare an attack on the turn its Summoned.

Greedo Draconis  
LIGHT/Dragon-Effect/2/200/300  
If you draw this card outside of your Draw Phase, you can Special Summon this card to your side of the field. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, draw 1 card.


	23. Chapter 22 Tough Love

Location: Osaka

The third door closed behind Ayaka, which transported her to the busy streets of Osaka. As she looked around she was awestruck at the amount of people making haste towards their destination. It was literally a sea of people moving from one place to the next.

"Where am I?" she whispered to herself in a slightly agitated tone.

She started looking at the buildings nearby to see if there was a place she could recognise. Unfortunately though, she had no luck in finding anywhere she knew. Realising her predicament, she decided to turn back, as agreed with the others earlier on. However, when she did turn around there was nothing there. The door originally behind her had vanished.

Ayaka now had no other choice; she had to find a way out of here as soon as possible. She tried to see across the road in case there was a place she could possibly get help from. But there were too many people in the way to effectively see. Suddenly a small break in the sea of people revealed a skyscraper across the road. For a brief moment, Ayaka's eyes were locked with the receptionist who was in that building.

Figuring out that she was possibly someone that could help, Ayaka made a dash for the building. She was constantly bumped into by many people, almost losing her balance on a few occasions. However, she was determined to make it through and eventually came out of the crowd. She rushed towards the entrance of the building and opened the glass door which swung both ways, to go inside. The receptionist was a young dark haired girl, who greeted Ayaka with a smile.

"Hi, I need some help." Ayaka said hurriedly.

"Can I ask for your name please?" the receptionist replied pleasantly.

"Ayaka,"

"Last name?"

"My last name? It's Uchiha but that's not important, I need to know where I am,"

"You're in Osaka," was the reply as the receptionist was checking something on her computer.

"Osaka? Why am I...?"

"Okay, it seems you're right on time," the receptionist interrupted. "Just take a seat and you will be called in very soon."

"What? What do you mean I'm on time?"

"For your appointment,"

"I'm not here for an appointment! I came here because I need your help! I need to find a way back home!"

"That's nice, please take a seat."

"Are you even listening to me?!"

The receptionist just smiled, forcing Ayaka to give up. She reluctantly went to the comfy sofas that were set up near the entrance and sat down. She sighed in frustration, but hoped whoever she was about to see will help her get out of this place.

**Chapter 22-Tough Love**

Ayaka was patiently waiting at the sofa. However, her patience was increasingly wearing thin due to the delay of her being seen. After tapping the arm rest on the sofa for a good few minutes, she finally got up and stormed to the desk.

"How much longer is this going to take?!" She bellowed as she slammed her hands on the reception desk.

"I've got more important things to do then wait around for someone!"

"My apologies, Miss Uchiha, it seems the meeting is taking slightly longer than expected. I'm sure it would only be a few more minutes." The receptionist replied, unfazed by Ayaka's behaviour.

"Unfortunately I don't have any more time to waste. Tell whoever it was that wanted to see me that I had to _leave!_"

Ayaka started to leave and then suddenly the phone rang from the receptionist's desk. Ayaka ignored it and immediately kept on walking. The receptionist picked up the phone and was told something before she hanged up the phone. Ayaka had just put her hand on the door handle to leave the premises before the receptionist called out,

"Miss Uchiha!"

Ayaka turned around in response and walked back to the desk.

"You're ready to be seen now; please take this briefcase with you."

A confused Ayaka took the briefcase and got further instructions from the receptionist.

"Now, take the elevator to the top floor. Then go up the staircase at the end of the hallway to the roof, you will be met there."

Ayaka found this strange as a meeting on the roof is highly unusual. She cautiously walked up to the elevator which was behind the receptionist and pressed a button. The doors glided open and she stepped inside. She looked at the selection choices and pressed 18, which was the highest number in regards to the number of floors. The doors closed and the elevator started its ascension. Ayaka was wondering what she should expect, but had no idea in what she was getting herself into. She soon reached her destination and stepped out of the lift and looked to her left. She saw a doorway to a staircase down the hallway and headed towards that area. She pushed the door open and walked up the stairs. She eventually reached the top and opened the door to arrive at the rooftop.

As soon as she stepped outside she immediately felt a wind chill and shivered slightly. She braved the cold though and walked on the roof until she saw a woman standing with her back turned, with a metallic briefcase next to her.

"Hello?" Ayaka said, "Are you the person who wanted to see me?"

The woman turned around, revealed to be wearing a highly expensive grey suit and trousers with a black blouse and shoes. She stood a few inches taller than Ayaka, had crimson eyes and sleek red hair which reached just below her shoulder blades. Ayaka's eyes widened as she couldn't believe who she was seeing.

"Ayane?" she whispered in disbelief.

"It's been a long time, Lil' Aya." Ayane replied.

Ayaka dropped the briefcase and ran to Ayane, hugging her tightly.

"I've missed you so much!" she cried out.

Ayane tried to keep a serious face, but she couldn't help but smile at the affection that Ayaka was showing her.

"I see you still greet people the same way. I haven't been away for that long."

"Well 14 months is a pretty long in my book." Ayaka replied, still hugging her sister.

Ayane sighed in response and answered back,

"So it is, but that's the way the world works, and you have to accept that."

A perplexed Ayaka let go of her sister and looked up to her.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Despite our preconceptions, this world is a cold and cruel place."

"That's a pretty negative thing to say,"

"Well it's the truth, and anyone who thinks otherwise is naive in my opinion."

Ayaka was surprised by her sister's statement and wondered why she was feeling this way. But she also sensed a significant change to Ayane, that something wasn't quite right.

"What is going on with you?" Ayaka asked her, "Out of us three sisters, you were usually the one who was the happiest. You always looked at the bright side of everything. So what's with the change of heart?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, I've currently been quite successful in my life."

"Well it's what you wanted and you achieved that, shouldn't that make you happy?"

"Actually, I feel quite the opposite. I feel regret and disappointment."  
Ayaka was almost shocked to hear this from her sister. Unable to grasp the meaning behind her sister's comments, she pressed for more details.

"Why? Why do you feel regret?"

"When I came to Osaka I was determined to be successful. What I didn't realise is the cost of that success. I had to do things that I thought I would never do, things that were against my principles to achieve my goals. It was then that I realised that the world was a dark place, and you will realise the same thing soon enough."

"What are you talking about?"

"Despite your kind spirit being your best quality Ayaka, the naivety and free mind that comes with it will be the cornerstone of your failure."

"What?!"

"Unless you toughen up and see the world as I see it, you won't be prepared for the cruelty and darkness the world embraces."

"I don't believe that! Sure there are faults but the whole world is not that bad!"

"The only people who say that are people who haven't truly seen the world in its true colours. You really have to come to your senses Ayaka, before it's too late. Especially since you too, will have to do things which go against your kind nature."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You will have to make choices, and those choices will have consequences, especially where it is difficult to interpret what is the right choice."

"Well when it comes down to it I will always choose the right thing to do!"

"You think it's that simple?"

"Yes it is!"

"But what if the right thing to do…was the lesser of two evils?"

"Huh?"

"Let's say you had to take the lives of five people to save a hundred, what would be the right thing to do then? Take away those lives, or stick by your principles and let everyone be taken?"

"I…I…"

Ayaka tried to make a decision but really couldn't. She couldn't imagine having to make a decision where you basically have control on whether people live or die.

"I figured you wouldn't know as that choice has never been put in front of you, and that is a real concern for me."

"Why are you worried about me so much?"

"Because you have been chosen to become a Guardian,"

Ayaka froze when she heard her sister utter those words.

"How…?"

"Did I know?" Ayane interrupted. "I make it a habit of mine to know things, which is why I am concerned. The duty of a Guardian is an extremely heavy burden to carry. You will have to make decisions that could affect one person, or many people. But at this present time, you are not strong enough to be a Guardian."

"But…"

"You're kindness makes you weak. Therefore, you won't be able to make the critical decisions a Guardian is required to make."

"So you're saying I have to be mean to become stronger?"

"No, but you do need a streak of ruthlessness when it comes to the hard choices, otherwise you will fail, and it will be other people who will suffer the consequences."

"Just because I'm kind that doesn't give you the right to hold that against me!"

"Well guess what Lil' Aya, life is unfair, and I'm going to prove that you are incapable of fulfilling your duty."

"And how are you going to do that?"

Ayane bent down and opened her suitcase; Ayaka couldn't see what was inside what she noticed Ayane was moving things inside it. Eventually she rose up but she was now wearing a Duel Disk with a Deck inserted.

"A Duel?" Ayaka questioned.

"That's correct; when a duel unfolds it reveals a person's true self. So it will enable me to see whether you have what it takes to be a Guardian, even though I doubt you do."

"I'm not doing to duel you."

"You have no choice, unless you want to prove me right and bee destined to fail."

Ayaka didn't really want to duel at all, but she felt that maybe if she could win she can find a way out of this place. With a sigh, she reluctantly said,

"Fine, I accept."

"Good. Now go to your briefcase, you will find everything you will need there."

Ayaka walked away from her sister to the briefcase she brought up with her. She opened it to find a Duel Disk and a Deck inside. She looked through the Deck and noticed that it was her actual Deck inside. She put on the Disk and inserted the Deck into it, activating it.

"Are you ready?" Ayane asked,

"Yes," Ayaka replied unconvincingly.

The pair drew their five cards to start their duel.

LP (Ayaka-4000/Ayane-4000)

"I'll start," Ayane announced. "I play the Spell, Dimensional Fissure."

A black hole appeared in the sky above Ayane's head, but strangely it also caused the temperature to slightly drop. Ayaka felt this immediately and rubbed her right arm slowly.

"Now as long as this card stays on the field, all monsters that are sent to the Graveyard are removed from play."

"Removed from play?" A stunned Ayaka asked.

"That's right; I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn!" Ayaka drew her card and saw that she drew Lonefire Blossom.

Ayaka: ("With this I can summon a powerful Plant monster from my Deck. However, my Lonefire will be removed from play because of her Spell. But it's more important for me to end this duel quickly, therefore…")

"I summon Lonefire Blossom (500/1400) in attack mode! I now use its effect! By releasing it I can summon a Plant monster from my Deck!"

As the monster disintegrated, the particles then got sucked into the black hole, signalling its removal from the game.

"I now summon Gigaplant (2400/1200) in attack mode! Now, my Gigaplant will wage a direct attack!"

"I reveal my face-down, Karma Cut. By discarding D.D. Scout Plane from my hand, I can remove from play your Gigaplant."

Ayaka gasped as both monsters were whisked from the field and into the black hole in the sky.

Ayaka: ("She had that monster in her hand! Why didn't she set it on the field to defend herself?")

"You assumed I was defenceless because I had no monster on the field. That was very immature of you to think that."

Ayaka brushed off the statement and declared the end of her turn with a face-down card.

"Your go now."

"Actually, since my D.D. Scout Plane (800/1200) is currently removed from play, I can Special Summon it to the field in attack mode during the End Phase of a turn."

Ayaka groaned as a robotic sphere came from the vortex and landed onto the field on its two mechanical legs.

"My turn now, I summon D.D. Survivor (1800/200) in attack mode."

A blonde haired man appeared on the field. He seemingly was a knight as you could see silver armour on his limbs. However most of his body and face was covered by a large, light brown cloak.

"D.D. Survivor and D.D. Scout Plane will attack you directly."

Firstly, Survivor ghosted towards Ayaka and punched her in the stomach, causing Ayaka to flinch and step back while holding her stomach.

LP (2200/4000)

Soon after, D.D. Scout Plane was charging a small pink light. It eventually fired a thin laser which struck Ayaka in the chest, forcing her down to one knee.

(1400/4000)

"I end my turn. You have to do a whole lot better than that Ayaka, especially if you want to prove me wrong."

Ayaka recovered and raised herself to a standing position. Despite suffering from the wind chill she put her fingers on her Deck, and with an ever-determined face, she drew her card.

Location: The Atrium

Back in Domino it was midnight in a moonlit night. A silver coupe was seen to be leaving the premises of the Atrium. Inside, was Vydia driving the car, seemingly on her way home. As she turned onto the main street, she saw her phone on the holder ringing. She recognised the caller to be Tanya and answered it via a Bluetooth headset worn over her right ear.

"Hi," she said.

"Hey, are you on your way home?"

"Yes,"

"Okay then."

There was then a silence between them which Vydia identified as Tanya wanting to ask something.

"If there is something you want to know just ask and I will tell you."

"……It's about what you said earlier."

"About the Guardians being tested?"

"Yeah, there is something that I want to know."

"Continue,"

"What happens…if they fail the test?"

Vydia paused for a short time, wondering if Tanya really should know what would happen.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes,"

"Very well, the Guardians' minds were unlocked to be tested. If they somehow fail this test, the dragon will remain inside them until it finds a suitable replacement."

"But if the dragon remains inside, what will happen to the host?"

"They will be trapped within their mind,"

"What do you mean by that?"

"The best way to describe it is that they will be in a coma-like state until the dragon leaves."

"A coma?!"

"One that will leave much physical and mental damage, depending on how long it takes until a suitable replacement is found. Which is why for the sake of their lives, they must overcome whatever task is set before them."

Meanwhile in Osaka, Ayaka prepared for her turn, and a way to strike back.

"I summon Botanical Lion (1600/2000) in attack mode! My Lion gains 300 ATK points for every Plant monster I control so it now has an ATK of 1900! I next play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Dimensional Fissure!"

A cyclone came forth and shattered the Spell, in turn closing the black hole in the sky.

"Next is my Graceful Charity so I draw three cards and discard two (Tytannial and Gigaplant")! Now my Botanical Lion attacks your Scout Plane!"

The lion took a deep breath and roared out a ray of rose petals which destroyed Ayane's monster. Ayane had no reaction as her Life Points decreased.

LP (1400/2900)

"Now there's no more reviving of your monster since it wasn't removed from play. I end my turn with a face-down, your move."

"That's a bit better, but not good enough. You need more conviction if you become a Guardian, especially when battling your enemies."

Ayaka didn't reply to her sister's statement, so Ayane started her turn by drawing her card sharply and silently. After looking at her hand she paused for a moment, thinking for the best course of action in her current situation.

"Is something the matter?" Ayaka asked, as she would usually do.

"No, just doing some risk management, a skill that you should consider learning." She replied coldly.

"What is with you? I am just trying to be nice!"

"And I'm just trying to show you that being nice doesn't get you anywhere. If you don't toughen up you'll get eaten alive by this place."

Ayaka groaned at her sister's persistence of condemning her personality.

"Anyway, I play Allure of Darkness; this allows me to draw two cards. But then I have to remove from play a DARK monster from my hand."

"What happens if you don't have a DARK monster?" Ayaka questioned.

"I send my entire hand to the Graveyard."

Ayaka realised that Ayane must not have a DARK monster in her hand to remove at the moment, hence, why she took her time in making her move. Ayane drew her two cards and got the monster she actually wanted.

"I remove from play my Necroface (1200/1800), and then its effect activates."

"Which is?"

"When this monster is removed from play we automatically remove from play the top five cards from our Deck."

"What?!" Ayaka said in shock, "But…"

"But nothing, now take your five cards and remove them!" Ayane commanded.

Ayaka reluctantly picked her top five which were Nettles, Miracle Fertilizer, The World Tree, Des Dendle and Gigantic Cephalotus. Ayane removed from play Dimensional Fissure, Dimension Fusion, Gren Maju Da Eiza, D.D. Warrior and Enemy Controller.

"Next I summon D.D. Assailant (1700/1600)." A male, blonde haired warrior jumped onto the field. It was wearing very light, white armour, but wielded a sword as large as its own body.

"D.D. Assailant, attack Ayaka's Botanical Lion."

"What?! But why?" a surprised Ayaka asked as D.D. Assailant drew his sword and charged forward. Botanical Lion roared out rose petals which engulfed Ayane's monster. However, a sword came from the roses and stabbed Botanical Lion, warping it from the field.

LP (1400/2700)

"What happened?!"

"When D.D. Assailant is defeated in battle, it removes from play the monster that destroyed it."

"No!"

"Thank you for proving to be a failure, D.D. Survivor attacks you directly to finish this duel!"

"It's not over yet, I activate Magic Cylinder! So I can negate your attack and then you take damage equal to your monster's attack points!"

"Hmm, interesting," Ayane said quietly as her Life Points decreased.

LP (1400/900)

"What is it?"

"You had more conviction to win just at that moment. It makes me wonder because I already know what you were thinking."

"So what was I thinking?"

"That you don't want to face me, and that you want this duel to end quickly."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that I also know that you were very tempted to let my last attack go through."

Ayaka was stunned by her sister's statement.

"You can't be that surprised Lil' Aya as I know you all too well. If Survivor had completed its attack, you would have killed two birds with one stone. The duel would be over and you wouldn't have to fight me anymore. So I'm curious as to why you are letting this match continue?"

Ayaka was silent for a short time, before answering her sister by saying,

"As much as I don't want to do this, my heart is telling me that I must. Therefore, I'm choosing to fight."

"Hmm, I guess we shall see whether you have made the right choice. I set three cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn then, I draw!"

"I activate my Trap, Macro Cosmos!"

"Macro Cosmos?" Ayaka asked as the field now seemingly turned into a galaxy.

"This card summons a Helios-The Primordial Sun (0/0) in defense mode!"

A female body came onto the field with the majority of it covered in bandages. What was striking though was that the head of the body was an actual small sun.

"And as long as this card is on the field, all cards that would be sent to the Graveyard are removed from play."

"All cards?!"

"Also my Helios' ATK and DEF are equal to the number of monsters removed from play times by 100."

"So…"

"A total of nine monsters have been removed so Helios has 800 ATK and DEF points."

"It doesn't matter; I summon my Lonefire Blossom (500/1400)! I will then release it to Special Summon a Plant monster from my Deck, so come forth Tytran, Prince Of Camellias (2100/1600)!"

A slim, attractive male with long brown hair appeared on the field. It had a uniform made of pink roses and thick green stems which had thorns, and was sitting on a flower bed of fully bloomed red and pink roses.

"Tytran's effect activates, when I summon it to the field I can summon a Level 2 of lower Plant Monster from my Deck like my Wicked Rose Fairy (200/200)!"

A fairy like creature appeared on the field. It had the body and legs of a stem, with green leaves as arms. Its wings were made of bright red rose petals, but it had hair made out of thorns and also wore an evil smile.

"Tytran attacks D.D. Survivor now!"

"I reveal my face-down card, D.D. Dynamite. This card inflicts 300 points of damage for every card removed from play on your side Ayaka. So with eight cards removed you take 2400 points of damage."

"No I won't because I play my Counter Trap, Pollinosis! I can release my Wicked Rose Fairy to negate the effect of your Trap and destroy it!"

Ayaka's monster disintegrated into thousands of pollen which ascended into the air. It then swooped towards the active Trap and coated it until it shattered.

"When my Wicked Rose Fairy is removed from the field, I can draw two cards! Tytran, continue your attack!"

Tytran sharply pointed at D.D. Survivior, which seemed to command hundreds of rose petals from his bed to charge towards it. The petals then grew razor sharp edges and sliced Ayane's monster into thousands of pieces.

LP (1400/600)

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"In your End Phase, my D.D. Survivor (1800/200) comes back to the field since it was removed from play."

Ayaka groaned as she hated seeing the constant revival of her opponent's monsters.

"That's a very risky move Ayaka, because your fairy takes away your Normal Summon for the next turn."

"It was a choice I made. If it's the wrong choice, so be it."

"Hmm, my turn. I now release my Helios to summon Caius The Shadow Monarch (2400/100)!" A fiendish monster ascended onto the field. It wore shiny black armour and had a ripped black cape. It made a very imposing stance which slightly intimidated Ayaka.

"Caius effect activates, when it's summoned I can remove from play one card on the field, so I choose my own D.D. Survivor."

"What?! But why?"

"Simple, if I happen to remove a DARK monster, Caius hits you with 1000 points of damage."

Caius generated a blackball from its own dark aura and shot it at Ayaka as D. was removed from play. Ayaka put her hands up to protect herself from the blast as the ball landed in front of her face.

LP (400/600)

"Now my Caius, attack Tytran now!"

Caius repeated the same motion and shot out a dark energy ray at Ayaka.

"I activate Dimension Wall, so you take all the Battle Damage that I will take this turn!"

Caius' ray struck and destroyed Tytran but the ray changed its course and hit Ayane.

LP (400/300)

"I end my turn in which my D.D. Survivor (1800/200) comes back to the field."

Ayaka groaned at the situation she was currently facing. She looked at her hand and saw Swing Of Memories and Seed Of Deception. She then began to wonder how she could possibly win from this position.

"Willing to accept I am right now?" Ayane asked, distracting Ayaka's thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Are you willing to accept that I am right?"

"Right about what?"

"That you don't have what it takes to be a Guardian. That you are too weak to fulfil the duty that has been given to you."

"Just shut up, okay!"

"Not until you admit it to yourself that you are not strong enough. That you don't have the traits required to make those tough decisions."

"You keep saying that over and over again, but you haven't even told me what they are!"

"That's something you have to figure out yourself."

Ayaka fell into a silence and said quietly,

"Why?"

Ayane raised an eyebrow in response to her question.

"Why…are you being like this? Why are you treating me this way? You used to be so kind and warm-hearted, so where has that person gone? Why does this bitter person stand before me who sees everything through dark glasses? Tell me, why you are doing this?!" she shouted in a clearly upset tone.

Ayane sighed and answered calmly,

"Simply because, you are my sister,"

"What?"

"You are my sister and I love and care about you very much. But you are not ready to take on what destiny has handed to you right now. So I felt I had to step in to prepare you for this journey you're about to undertake. Call it tough love if you will."

"I…don't understand."

"If you win then you will understand."

Ayaka still wasn't sure what she meant by that. But she pulled herself together and prepared to start her turn.

"Fine, then I will win."

"That is not going to happen."

"We shall see about that!"

Ayaka drew her card and got Copy Plant. Immediately thoughts were running through her head regarding this turn.

Ayaka: ("Okay, if I really know my sister, she would always have a back up plan and if in doubt go with your instinct. This move will determine the outcome of this duel, so here goes!")

"I play Swing Of Memories, which allows me to summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard, so I choose my Gigaplant (2400/1200)!"

Ayane: ("Knowing Ayaka, she's planning to pull off a Synchro monster since she can't Normal Summon. Then her face-down will her monster's attack to defeat my Caius. A clever plan Lil' Aya, but its not good enough.")

"I now play Seed Of Deception so I can Special Summon a Level 2 Monster from my hand. So I summon Tuner monster, Copy Plant (0/0)!"

Ayane gave no reaction to the play but figured she was right for the Synchro Summon.

"I tune my Level 1 Copy Plant with my Level 6 Gigaplant!"

Copy Plant burst into a single green ring, which descended onto Gigaplant, creating six white stars. A bright pillar of light then formed behind Ayaka.

"Synchro Summon! Gracefully bloom, Chrysanthia, Queen Of Camellias (2500/2100)!"

A woman ascended onto the field wearing the exact style of attire as Tytannial. However the woman looked older and had green hair streaming down from her tiara, ending at her legs. Also her attire was more orange and yellow, whilst surrounded by yellow chrysanthemums and plants from the waist down.

"Next I activate my face-down, Plant Food Chain! This Trap becomes an equip card and I equip it to my Chrysanthia, increasing her attack by 500 points!" (Chrysanthia- 3000/2100)

"Chrysanthia, attack Caius The Shadow Monarch, Majestic Storm!"

Chrysanthia slowly raised her hand and a whirlwind yellow chrysanthemums shot out, aiming directly for Caius.

"Sorry Aya, but you're going to lose this duel. I play my face-down Grand Convergence. When Macro Cosmos is on the field I can activate this card. So now not only you take 300 points of damage, but then all monsters on the field are destroyed."

"This can't be!"

"Oh but it is, so say bye to your Synchro."

The entire field started to warp and distort, eventually shattering all monsters on the field.

LP (100/300)

"As soon as you end your turn, I will get my D.D. Survivor back and the duel will end. It's a shame that you couldn't win and prove me wrong, but that's the way it is. Life is always unfair."

Ayane then noticed that Ayaka was smiling. Being a little confused she asked her.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Because there won't be a next turn. You've seem to have forgotten that my Chrysanthia was equipped with Plant Food Chain."

"So?"

"So, when Plant Food Chain is destroyed by a card effect, I can Special Summon a Plant monster from my Graveyard."

"You don't have any Plant monsters in your Graveyard; they were all removed from play."

"Actually, if you think back, you will figure out there is only one monster left in my Graveyard."

Ayane then remembered when Ayaka played Graceful Charity earlier in the duel, she discarded two monsters. She closed her eyes in realisation to what was about to occur.

"I take it you from you reaction that you have figured it out. Now my Plant Food Chain, revive my Tytannial, Princess Of Camellias (2800/2600)!"

As the monster was summoned, Ayane raised her head to face the monster head on.

"Tytannial, direct attack!"

The monster shot out a vortex of rose petals which engulfed Ayane until she went down to her knees.

LP (100/0)

"Looks like you made the right choice." Ayane said as the vortex still raged on.

"Always remember that if you can't decide, go with your instinct."

"I will remember that."

"Farewell. Lil' Aya."

"Wait!"

Before Ayaka could even react, the rose petals completely encased Ayane. Soon after, the petals broke apart and revealed nothing but an empty Duel Disk. Ayaka walked slowly to the Duel Disk and picked it up, with a sorrowful look on her face.

"Ayane…"

End Of Chapter.

Preview: Ayaka wakes up to discover something new and makes a decision to retain something old. Elsewhere Ryusei's door takes him to Tokyo, more specifically the cemetery of where his parents were buried. By chance he meets his old friend Sousuke at the cemetery. Sousuke blames Ryusei for the accident and that Ryusei's actions will only bring pain to those closest to him. Sousuke then forces Ryusei into a duel in the belief that defeating him will prevent him from being a Guardian.

Chapter 23-Dark Memories Of A Regretful Soul (title tbc)

ORIGINAL CARDS

Tytran, Prince Of Camellias  
WIND/Plant-Effect/6/2100/800  
When this card is Summoned to the field you can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Plant-Type monster from your Deck. When this card is destroyed by your opponent's card effect, add 1 "Tytannial, Princess Of Camellias" from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand.

Chrysanthia, Queen Of Camellias  
WIND/Plant-Synchro-Effect/7/2500/2100  
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Plant-Type monsters  
As long as this card is on the field, your opponent cannot select another Plant-Type Monster as an attack target. Once per turn you can remove from play 1 Plant-Type Monster from your Graveyard to destroy 1 card on the field.

Wicked Rose Fairy  
DARK/Plant-Effect/2/200/200  
When this card is removed from the field, draw 2 cards. You cannot Normal Summon or Set until the end of your next turn.


	24. Chapter 23 Dark Memories

Location: Osaka

After the duel had ended, Ayaka walked slowly to the Duel Disk vacated by her sister Ayane. As she picked it up, a look of sorrow appeared on her face.

Ayaka: ("Ayane, What happened to you? What could have possibly happened that has made you change so much?")

Ayaka's thoughts were distracted as she noticed the rose petals on the floor were now changing colour. Ayaka looked closely at one of them and then saw the complete transformation of one petal into a black rose petal. A surprised Ayaka rose herself up quickly but as she rose up, all the petals had now become black and started to lift themselves into the air. The petals formed a whirlwind and viciously surrounded Ayaka. Ayaka then felt herself lift off the ground as she was dragged into the air by the petal whirlwind. She felt helpless moving within the whirlwind, as all the petals impaired her vision of the outside world. Suddenly, the petals swiftly broke apart and revealed, much to Ayaka's horror that she was high up in the sky, with nothing to hold on to. Ayaka screamed as she started free falling for what felt like forever. Just as soon as she was about to hit the ground, she gasped as she rose from her bed, panting heavily and her heart racing.

Her breathing began to slow down when she discovered that it was only a dream and that she was actually in her room. When she calmed down her thoughts were immediately on how real and vivid everything felt in that dream. However, her attention was then caught on something she saw on her right arm. She got out of bed and walked towards her dresser to get her glasses and put them on. When she looked at her arm she was surprised to see the Guardian mark present there. She now had a feeling of disappointment because despite everything that has happened, she was hoping that Hayate was right about everything being untrue. She then was remembering what her sister was saying about how she needs to toughen up and be prepared to make hard choices. The more she thought about what Ayane said and her behaviour, the more uncomfortable she started to feel about her. She wanted to find out for sure whether her sister has really changed that much, or was she just over-thinking this dream she had. She picked up her cell phone from her dresser and went back to her bed. She started to scroll through the numbers on her phone until she reached Ayane. She hesitated for a moment but that quickly subsided as she went ahead and pressed the button to call her.

**Chapter 23-Dark Memories Of A Regretful Soul (title tbc)**

Location: Tokyo

The final door transported Ryusei to a quiet street. The area was pitch-black as it was the middle of the night. Ryusei looked around but could barely see anything due to the thick darkness.

"Where…am I?" he muttered to himself.

He then started walking in the general direction of what he thought was north, hoping to find some light or see somewhere recognisable.

As he walked a few more steps, a street light to his left suddenly turned on. A slightly startled Ryusei stopped and looked at the street light. Soon after that, numerous lights began to illuminate, one after the other. Ryusei felt what was happening was quite strange as it seemed the lights were creating a path for him to follow. So he obliged by continuing to walk down the road.

He walked down the brightly lit road on this eerily vacated street for what felt like an hour. Growing tiresome, he stopped and went to sit down on the pavement to take a break.

Ryusei: ("This is not getting me anywhere. I've been walking for ages and I still have no idea where I am.")

He looked up into the black sky, wishing for a sign to tell him whether he should continue. Then as a response to his wishes, he noticed a shooting star flying across the sky. He managed follow it with his eyes for only a second. However, a second was all that he needed due to the star revealing to him a new area in the distance. He got up and continued walking until he reached his new destination.

After another ten minutes of walking Ryusei arrived at the new place. All he saw was a dark open space that was closed by large black gates. As soon as Ryusei walked up to the gates, they slowly swung themselves open, inviting him in. When he walked into the area, the area was lit up with moonlight revealing what this area actually was. Ryusei was horrified as he looked in all directions, and all he saw was tombstones everywhere.

Ryusei: ("This is…a cemetery?!")

He took a few steps back before deciding to get out of this place, but the gates slammed shut just before he could leave. He tried to open them but the gates were firmly shut, refusing to budge. Swearing in his head, Ryusei decided to walk through the cemetery, hoping to find another way out.

An uneasy Ryusei was walking through the cemetery at a hastened pace. But as he walked further and further into the cemetery, it got colder and mistier. Eventually it became so misty that Ryusei couldn't see anything, however he was determined to escape so he continued walking. In a short amount of time, Ryusei then stopped because his legs hit something. The mist then completely vanished so Ryusei could see again, and he noticed that in his way were a couple of tombstones that were next to each other. Ryusei stepped back to see who was inscribed on the stones and when he did, his body froze in shock and disbelief.

The gravestones read:

_Yutaka Fujiwara  
__A loving father whose desire to help others never knew no bounds  
__17__th__ January 1975  
__25__th__ July 2001_

_Miho Fujiwara  
__A light of happiness that will never extinguish in our hearts  
__16__th __October 1977  
__25__th__ July 2001_

Ryusei collapsed to his knees as he read the gravestones of his parents.

Ryusei: ("Mom...Father…")

As a flood of emotions started to emerge from him, a replay of the accident was running through his mind. He closed his eyes and clenched his fist in an attempt to fight back the tears that was welling within his eyes.

"It's always the past that causes us the most pain, especially those with dark pasts."

Ryusei was surprised to hear that someone else was here as well. He wiped his eyes incase there were any tears that slipped out, so that he was ready to face this person. He got up and turned around to see a young man sitting in a wheelchair. The man had sharp brown eyes with short and spiky dark brown hair. He wore grey tracksuit bottoms, trainers, a white t-shirt and a grey hooded jacket.

Ryusei focused on the appearance of the man and then it clicked him that he looked a lot like Sousuke. He was slightly older but he was pretty sure that he was right.

"Sousuke?! Is that really you?!" He asked, shocked to see his face again.

"And here I am wondering whether you've forgotten about me, because I definitely didn't forget about you."

The tone of Sousuke's voice gave Ryusei a chill down his spine. However, he attempted to shrug it off as he wanted to talk about what happened.

"It has been a long time, but I've wanted to talk to you since that day."

"Well as much as I would like to reminisce I can't. Because you and I, we need to talk."

"Talk about what?"

"Your future."

Location: Osaka

Somewhere in the city of Osaka, a phone was vibrating on top of a chest of drawers. A woman was stirring in her bed as she heard the loud rumbling noise her phone was making in her ears. She stretched her hand to turn on a bedside lamp and looked at the clock next to it. She sighed in frustration as she saw the time was 1:11am.

"For crying out…" she whispered as she picked her phone and flipped it open to answer the call.

"Hello?" she said wearily.

Ayaka paused for a short time before replying,

"Hey, sis, it's me."

The woman who was revealed to be Ayane rose up from her bed sharply.

"Ayaka? Why are you calling at this hour? As something happened?!" she asked in an agitated manner, expecting bad news to follow.

"No, nothing has happened; I just…wanted to talk to you for a bit."

Ayane settled down and a gentle smile appeared on her face.

"I know I said you should call when you need me, but don't you think this is taking liberties?" she chuckled.

Ayaka chuckled also at the statement and replied,

"I know and I'm sorry. It's just that it's been such a long time since I've heard your voice, and a lot has been going on here…"

"So you wanted to hear a friendly voice right, and who better than you're big sis?"

"Something like that."

"I understand that, well firstly I should apologise for the lack of contact. Things are so busy over here that I barely get time to sleep, let alone make a personal call."

"It's okay; I understand the pressure you must be under."

"There is a lot of pressure on my shoulders. But I'm enjoying the experience more so it's not that big of a deal."

Ayaka smiled in relief as it seemed that her sister still had the same joyful personality that she always remembered her by. But this then begged the question, how come she was so different in her dream? Ayaka then proceeded to ask a question related to this.

"Ayane, I want to ask you a question but take your time before answering."

"Okay, what is it?"

"When it comes to making a choice, no matter how important or trivial they are. How do you know which is the right one to make?"

"That's easy; I always go for the one that benefits all parties."

"But what if it's never that clear cut? Or if the choice you had to make…is going to hurt someone else?"

"Ayaka, are you sure you're all right? You're not in any trouble are you?"

"No I'm fine, it's just a thought I had while doing some work, that's all."

"As long as you're okay then I'm happy. As for your question, to me the answer is simple…just go with your instincts."

"Really?"

"Of course, you are the only person that knows yourself best. So if you trust yourself, it's easier to make those hard choices when necessary. Besides, I know you as a kind, warm hearted person, so I have the utmost faith that if you came to a situation, you would do the right thing."

Ayaka smiled again and felt a sense of calm and relief. Her troubles from her dream seemingly disappearing after this talk with Ayane.

"Thank you, Ayane,"

"Your welcome. Now not to be rude but I have to get some sleep, tomorrow is another hectic day."

"Oh right, I understand."

"However, I haven't had a holiday for such a long time now. So how does me coming down for a couple of weeks sound? That way I can spend some time with you and Asuka."

"That sounds great! I will greatly look forward to it."

"Good, I will speak to you soon Ayaka."

"Before you go, just one more thing Ayane,"

"Yes?"

"Please, don't ever change the way you are."

"Okay, whatever that means. Goodnight Lil Aya."

"Night, Ayane."

Ayaka hung up her phone and got out of bed to put the phone back to its place. As she placed it on the dresser she noticed a card was resting against her dressing mirror.

Ayaka: ("That's funny. I never leave cards out in the open.")

She went and picked it up to put it back with her other cards, located in her second drawer. However, she gasped in shock as she looked at what the card was. It was the exact same image of the purple dragon which she had been dreaming about beforehand, and the one that she saw in the meeting with Vydia.

"How…can this be?" she whispered as she stared at the image of the card, given the name Black Rose Dragon.

Location: Tokyo

Back at the cemetery Sousuke was about to explain why he was here, but Ryusei was compelled to say what he felt.

"Sousuke, I…"

"Save it Ryusei, I've already said that I don't want to talk about it."

"I have to say this Sousuke. What happened back then…?"

"Ryusei, don't…"

"It was entirely my fault; I blame myself completely for everything. If I…could turn back the clock…I would have never got into that car, but I can't. All I can say is that I'm truly, TRULY sorry, and I hope that one day in your heart, you will be able to forgive me."

There was no response from Sousuke for a short time before he broke the silence.

"Sorry?"

Ryusei nodded which made Sousuke become incensed with him.

"You put me in this chair so you need a bigger word than sorry!"

"I know, but I don't know what else I can say or do."

"I'll tell you what you've could have done. One, you could have visited me in the hospital after it happened!"

"I was in the Correction Centre so I couldn't!"

"But you got out didn't you?! So where were you then?! Secondly, even if you couldn't visit me you could have called! Just once in a while to see how I was doing! Finally, maybe, just maybe, you should have never got into that damned car IN THE FIRST PLACE!!"

"Sousuke,"

"I told you it was a bad idea, but no, Ryusei wanted a little fun. He wanted to push the boundary a bit further, and look what happened!!"

"I…didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"But it did Ryusei and you're to blame for it! I thought I had to spend the rest of my life in this chair, because you couldn't do the simple thing of keeping your eyes on the road. But what's worse is the fact that you, my best friend, abandoned me at the time when I needed you the most, and that hurts me like no other pain I've ever felt."

Ryusei felt extreme guilt over his past actions, he knew that nothing he could say could change how Sousuke felt.

"So that is why…" Sousuke continued as he put his hands on the arm rests of his wheelchair. He then suddenly got up from his chair. Ryusei widened his eyes in disbelief to what he was witnessing.

"We need to talk." He finished.

"Sousuke, you…"

"No thanks to you, but yeah. I was lucky enough to overcome what you did to me, so I can stop you from ruining everything."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It means that you Ryusei are nothing more than a selfish bastard!"

"What?!"

"Don't even deny it because it's true. Ever since you're parents died you've wallowed in your own self pity. Whining about how life is unjust and the world is a disgustingly, horrible place."

"Can you blame me for that? The two people that I loved the most were stolen from me!"

"News flash, Ryusei! They're dead, so get over it!"

Ryusei was taken aback by Sousuke's brutal tone of voice as he continued his assault.

"But instead, you lashed out at everything and everyone, not even thinking about the pain you were causing to the people who care about you."

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"What, you think you're parents would be proud of a son who has lied and stole? Ultimately you were reckless and selfish, and they would have felt ashamed to have raised a son like that. A disgrace to the family name!"

"JUST SHUT UP!!"

"Truth hurts doesn't it? The fact is that it probably worked out best for everyone as your Mom and Dad would sooner be dead than to have a son like you."

"You…BASTARD!!"

Ryusei charged towards Sousuke, his right fist clenched and then swung at Sousuke. Sousuke easily dodged to the left and countered with a blow to the stomach, winding Ryusei.

"Is that all you got?" Sousuke asked as he lifted Ryusei's head up via his chin so that he could look at him.

Sousuke then connected a right hook to Ryusei's face, sending him crashing to the ground.

"I must admit, that has made me feel a little bit better." Sousuke said as he shook his right hand.

Ryusei groaned as he slowly got up, recovering from the punch delivered to him. He then touched the corner of his lip and saw blood on his finger.

"So you want to settle this in a fight? Is that it Sousuke? You want vengeance for what happened back then?! Is that why you are deliberating saying those things?! To get me angry enough to fight you?!"

"No,"

"No?! Then what the hell was that about?! Why did you say that about my family?!"

"I said those things because I'm trying to make a point. I know that you've suffered just like I've suffered. But you are still making the same mistakes that you made in the past!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You've turned your life around for the better and that's fine, good for you compared to me. But you still behave in a reckless and selfish manner."

"How am I selfish? I help others as much as I can; I always put others before myself! So how can you call me selfish?!"

"It's the reason why you help others that confirms it. You do it because you feel empty inside. A void was made after your parents died and you've been desperately trying to fill that void by doing these so-called selfless acts. In other words, you only help others to make yourself feel better!"

"That's not true!"

"Really? You can say whatever you want Ryusei. But try as you may, you can't lie to me. I know the truth."

"Oh yeah, and what truth is that?"

"That you wished you died with your parents."

Ryusei's blood ran cold as those words echoed in his ears.

"I know that's what you feel Ryusei, which is why you go so far for others."

"I…"

"You give the image that you're so virtuous, willing to sacrifice yourself to help any friend in need. But that attitude, will lead you to an early grave. You will only cause pain to your friends and family as they will be the ones that have to bury you!"

Ryusei couldn't say a single word in response. As much as he wanted to defend himself from these accusations, he had to be honest with himself. There were some elements of truth to what Sousuke said.

"Aren't you going to defend yourself, Ryusei? You're not going to say how wrong I am? That your intentions are good and not for any personal gain?"

Ryusei was silent for a while, almost in acceptance to Sousuke's verbal tirade. He eventually opened his mouth while his head was down and asked in a low tone.

"What do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything from you."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"It's simple, the way you are now, makes you not fit to be a Guardian."

"Wait a minute! How did you know about that?"

"It doesn't matter, what matters is that I can't sit back and let you screw everything up."

"What are you saying?"

"You don't have what it takes to become a Guardian. You're not strong enough and with your current attitude, I know that somewhere down the line, you're going to make a choice with serious consequences, and I'm pretty sure you will make the wrong one."

"What choice?!"

"Normally a person would say 'you'll find out soon enough'. But I don't want you to find out. Which is why…?"

Sousuke then kicked his wheelchair over, revealing a Duel Disk with an inserted Deck, strapped underneath it.

"I have to do whatever it takes to stop you."

"Are you talking about a Duel?"

"Damn straight,"

"Why should I duel you?"

"Believe me, I would rather it be a fist fight. But there are rules to follow so I have no choice."

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll find out in due course. But I should let you know, if you're thinking of getting out of here, you will have to face me."

"Why is that?"

"Because, I'm the only one who knows how to get out of this place, and I won't tell you unless you face me."

"This sounds like a load of bullshit to me."

"Well this is the kind of bullshit that determines your fate! So what's it gonna be?"

Ryusei didn't really want to duel, but he felt he had no choice, especially since he was desperate to get out of here.

"Fine," he answered in a low tone.

"Good, you will find what you need behind the tombstones."

A confused Ryusei went behind his parent's gravestones and behind it, he found a Duel Disk behind one and a Deck behind the other. He looked through the Deck and noticed that all the cards from his actual Deck were present. He fastened the Disk on and inserted the Deck, which automatically shuffled it. As he walked round to the front of the graves, he knelt down and looked at them, feeling some guilt as he thought of his actions in the past.

"You ready?" Sousuke asked as he activated his Duel Disk.

Ryusei gave a silent response as stood up, took to his position and switched on his Duel Disk. Both players drew five cards and shouted,

"DUEL!!"

LP (Sousuke-4000/Ryusei-4000)

Location: Domino Town

It was 2:10am in a well lit Domino Town Centre. Yuji, Kai and a group of friends were walking back to their Dorms after a night out. After some chatter and a few jokes, Yuji noticed something. He saw Kasumi, resting her arms against a railing, looking up at the crescent moon in the distant sky. Thinking something may be wrong; he decided to break away from the group.

"I'll catch up with you guys later." Yuji said to the group.

"Why?" Kai questioned.

"Because…"

"Because you're whipped that's why."

"Shut up, I'll see you later."

Yuji headed towards Kasumi as the group headed a different direction. Kasumi at that moment was completely lost in her thoughts. It felt to her that she had finally taken vengeance on her mother and extinguished her demons in the process. However, she was finding it hard to come to terms with this event. She didn't know what to do or what to feel. It seemed like she has lost a part of herself since the rage that had consumed her for so long has now vanished. But since this feeling is now gone, she was feeling greatly uncertain about herself.

"Hey," Yuji called out as he walked closer to Kasumi. However, she didn't respond. Yuji relaxed on the railing right next to her and asked,

"Are you all right?"

Kasumi still didn't respond, in fact she didn't even move. Yuji moved his hand in front of her face and waved it, trying to get her attention. After this failed, he snapped his fingers a couple of times. Eventually, Kasumi spoke asking,

"Why are you here Yuji?"

"Why am I here? I should be asking you that. Standing alone at two in the morning is not something I would call normal. So I came to see if you're all right."

"No I'm not all right, but before you even think about asking, no, I do not want to talk about it."

"I wasn't going to say anything."

"Good,"

"However, you do know that I'm here for you. I know you prefer to deal with things on your own, but I'm just reminding you that whenever you feel like you need to talk, I'm here."

Kasumi then left Yuji and started heading back in the direction to the University, the kind of reaction he expected from her. After a few steps though, she stopped and called him.

"Yuji,"

"Yeah?"

Kasumi then turned around and said,

"Thank you…for checking up on me."

She then turned around and walked away, leaving Yuji confused as that was probably the first time she has said something nice to him.

Location: Tokyo

In the cemetery, Sousuke started the duel with his first move.

"I draw! I play the Continuous Spell, Call Of The Mummy! So if I control no monsters, I can Special Summon a Zombie monster from my hand. Therefore, I choose to summon Il Blud (2100/800) in attack mode!"

A monster appeared, wearing black and white striped jump suit with a ball and chain strapped to its right ankle. However, what was disturbing is that the jump suit was unzipped and inside was another monster's head peeking out. Ryusei however, had no reaction to the monster summoning.

"Now I give up my Normal Summon to second Summon my Il Blud, and use its effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Zombie monster from my hand or from either of our Graveyards. So come forth, Goblin Zombie (1100/1000) in attack mode!"

A skeleton goblin ascended from the ground wielding a sharp sword, and let out a raspy screech.

"I end my turn."

"My turn, draw!"

Ryusei: ("I wish this duel wasn't happening, but I have no choice. Some of the things he said have struck a chord inside me, more bad than good. But I have to make things right, and to do that I need to get out of here. So winning is my only option!")

"I summon Breaker The Magical Warrior (1600/1000)! When it's summoned, it gets a Spell Counter, increasing its attack by 300 points (Breaker-1900/1000)! Breaker attacks your Goblin Zombie!"

Breaker drew its sword and charged forward, slashing the Zombie in half before it could even retaliate.

LP (3200/4000)

"When Goblin Zombie is sent to the Graveyard I can pull any Zombie with 1200 or less defense from my Deck to my hand."

As Sousuke selected his monster, Pyramid Turtle, an unfazed Ryusei continued with his turn.

"I now activate Breaker's effect, so I remove the Spell Counter on it to destroy a Spell or Trap on the field. So you're Call Of The Mummy is now gone!"

Breaker then jumped in the air and slashed the Spell, shattering it.

"I play a card face-down and end my turn."

"Huh, I expected a more explosive opening, but anyway. I summon Pyramid Turtle (1200/1400) in defense mode!"

An old brown turtle with a gold pyramid as a shell emerged from the ground and crawled onto the field.

"I use Il Blud's effect once again to summon my Goblin Zombie (1100/1000) from my Graveyard! Il Blud attacks Breaker!"

"I reveal my Trap, Mirror Force! This destroys all monsters in attack mode on your side of the field!"

Sousuke had no reaction from the events of his monsters exploding. He then selected another card from his Deck via Goblin Zombie's effect and revealed Mezuki to Ryusei.

"I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn, draw!"

"I flip my Battle Mania, so you have no choice but to attack this turn!"

Ryusei: ("He's definitely planning something. Likelihood that Pyramid Turtle's effect activates when it's attacked or destroyed. As much as I want to play it safe, I have no choice but to attack!")

"I summon Maiden of Macabre (1700/0) to the field! Now my Maiden will attack your Turtle, with Harrowing Slice!"

Ryusei's maiden lifted her axe into the air and swung it downwards with incredible force, slashing the turtle in half.

"Pyramid Turtle's effect is triggered. When it's destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Zombie from my Deck, with 2000 defense or less."

"2000?!"

"That's right, so please welcome Ryu Kokki (2400/2000) to the party."

A large beast roared onto the field. Its body was made out of skulls and bones, with a blood red orb positioned where the creature's heart would normally be.

"Crap!" Ryusei exclaimed just as his Maiden gained a Spell Counter due to her effect (Maiden-1900/0).

"Now, because of Battle Mania, your other monster now has to go toe-to-toe with this guy."

Ryusei growled loudly as Breaker charged forward, ready to strike. Ryu Kokki lifted his arm and did a hammer blow on Breaker, shattering it to many pieces.

LP (3200/3200)

"Damn it!" Ryusei muttered.

"Don't go complaining, you should have been more aware. If you can't anticipate small things like this, how would you know when to fight as a Guardian?"

Ryusei ignored his statement and said,

"I end my turn with a face-down."

"My turn, Ryu Kokki will attack your Maiden!"

"I play my face-down, Enemy Controller so your Ryu Kokki is switched to defense mode!"

"Lucky scumbag, I equip my Ryu Kokki with Mist Body so now it can't be destroyed by battle. I then set a monster on the field and a card face-down on the field."

"My turn, Maiden of Macabre will attack your face-down monster!"

As Ryusei's monster charged forward, Sousuke revealed an evil smile as he had Ryusei where he wanted him.

"I activate my face-down, Shift!"

"What?!"

"Shift allows me to change the target of your attack. So your Maiden is now battling Ryu Kokki."

Maiden of Macabre stopped in her tracks and turned to face Ryu Kokki. But as soon as she lifted her axe up, Ryu Kokki countered the attack by releasing a bright red light from its orb. This forced the Maiden back to Ryusei's field.

LP (3200/3100)

Ryusei was starting to feel anxious as his strategies were being countered.

"By the way, there's one more thing."

"What?" Ryusei asked in a frustrated tone,

"Any Spellcasters that battle with my Ryu Kokki are automatically destroyed."

"What the…"

Suddenly, Ryusei's monster exploded with great intensity. Ryusei covered his face to protect himself as much as he could from the blast.

"Damn, this is not good!" he whispered to himself.

"Anything else Ryusei?"

Ryusei looked at his hand and he only had one option and that was to play defensively.

"I set a monster face-down and a card face-down, turn end."

"Oh dear, oh dear Ryusei, and here I was expecting a challenge from you! I was expecting you to come out all guns blazing to defend your character, your pride, even your family name. But instead you've pissed away your only chance with a disgraceful display."

"Shut up!"

"Why should I, especially since you're now about to lose."

Sousuke drew his card and smiled.

"I activate Pot Of Greed, so I draw two cards from my Deck. Then I play Nobleman of Crossout which destroys a face-down monster and removes it from play!"

"Shit!" Ryusei exclaimed as his monster, revealed to be The Unhappy Maiden (0/100) exploded.

"I now flip summon my Des Lacooda (500/600)!"

An undead camel made its presence on the field, with bandages around its head and humps on its body.

"Its effect allows me to draw one card from my Deck."

Sousuke drew his card, and smiled as he knew for definite that he had won.

"I next summon Malevolent Mech Goku En (2400/1400)!"

A black dragon-like creature appeared on the field. Its body had numerous wings which seemed withered away into spikes as its whole body was emitting blue smoke, almost constantly deteriorating. Ryusei then noticed that the monster played was a Level 6.

"Wait a sec!"

"Stop making noise, Goku En can be summoned without a release, which in turn, will end you."

"It doesn't pay to be cocky."

"It does when you know you have won. I activate my Spell, Curse Of The Undead! So by removing two Zombies from my Graveyard, all Zombies can't be destroyed by the effects of Spells and Traps for the duration of this turn!"

Ryusei was completely shocked by what had just happened. He was almost in disbelief that Sousuke was going to win in just a few short turns.

"Ryusei Fujiwara! You are a disgrace to yourself and your family, and now you will suffer the consequences of your actions! All my monsters, attack Ryusei directly!!"

All three of Sousuke's monsters prepared their attacks as Ryusei's face went stern, bracing himself for the attack. Suddenly three beams, one from each monster shot out at high velocity before merging into one beam of energy. Ryusei braced himself for the attack as it edged closer and closer to impact.

To be continued.

Preview: After a miraculous avoidance of what seemed to be inevitable. The duel between Ryusei and Sousuke continues. Sousuke continues his relentless pressure on Ryusei, backing him to a corner. But a moment of clarity helps Ryusei pursue his cause and eventually determines his own fate by his own terms.

Chapter 24-Our Fate As We See It

ORIGINAL CARDS

Curse Of The Undead

Normal Spell

Remove from play 2 Zombie-Type monsters from your Graveyard. Zombie monsters you control this turn cannot be destroyed by the effects of Spell and Trap Cards this turn. During the End Phase of the turn this card was activated, receive 800 points of damage for each you monster you control.


	25. Chapter 24 Our Fate As We See It!

"Ryusei Fujiwara! You are a disgrace to your family, and now you will suffer the consequences of your actions! All my monsters, attack Ryusei directly!"

All three of Sousuke's monsters prepared their attacks as Ryusei's face went stern, bracing himself for the attack. Suddenly three beams, one from each monster shot out at a high velocity before merging into one beam of energy. The beam edged closer and closer, but Ryusei then quickly reacted to the event.

"Reveal Trap Card! Negate Attack! This card negates your attack and ends the Battle Phase!"

Sousuke had a look of disgust as a vortex appeared on Ryusei's field, preventing the high-powered beam from striking him. Eventually, the beam was sucked into the vortex until nothing was left, giving Ryusei much relief for surviving that turn.

"Tch, lucky punk," Sousuke muttered. "Well Des Lacooda's effect activates. Once per turn, I'm able to flip to face-down defense mode."

Sousuke then deeply sighed in frustration as he knew what was going to happen next. When he signalled the end of his turn, Ryusei was surprised to see Sousuke's Life Points drop dramatically.

LP (700/3200)

"What happened to your Life Points?" Ryusei questioned.

"It's the adverse effect of Curse Of The Undead. In my End Phase, I take 800 points of damage for each monster I control. Even though the cost is steep, it will be well worth it after I crush you."

"We'll see about that,"

"Wishful thinking Ryusei, but try as you may to deny it, I'm going to win, and deep down I think you know it."

"I don't believe you."

Sousuke then sighed in disappointment and replied by saying,

"It seems that some people just can't accept the truth. However, if you really think that you can beat, make your move and show me you have what it takes!"

Ryusei was hesitant to move at first as he knew from this moment onwards; every turn is of great importance. However, he then gathered himself and placed his fingers on the top of his Deck.

"My turn!" he declared as he sharply drew his card, hoping that it will be the right one to turn the duel into his favour.

**Chapter 24-Our Fate As We See It**

Ryusei drew his card and figured out a potential way to fight back, even though it would only be for a short while.

"I summon Kycoo The Ghost Destroyer (1800/700) in attack mode! I then play the Spell, United We Stand, increasing its strength by 800 points (Kycoo-2600)!"

Sousuke growled after seeing the rise in Kycoo's strength.

"Kycoo, attack his Malevolent Mech now! Sacred Fist!"

Kycoo ghosted forward with his right fist wrapped around with rosary beads, and landed a right punch, shattering Goku En.

(500/3200)

"Kycoo's effect activates, allowing me to remove from play two monsters in your Graveyard, so I will remove your Il Blud and Goblin Zombie from play!"

Sousuke looked sternly at Ryusei as he selected the two cards and removed them from his Graveyard.

"I end my turn."

"Fair enough, my turn now!"

Sousuke drew his card and smiled.

"All right, first, I flip my Des Lacooda (500/600) to attack mode, allowing me to draw one card. I next summon Spirit Reaper (300/200) in attack mode!"

A demonic skeleton came onto the field, wearing a purple hooded cloak and wielding a shorthanded axe with a large blade.

"Ryu Kokki, attack Kycoo now!"

The monster clenched its fist and launched its right arm, clattering into Kycoo. Kycoo survived the attack but then shattered immediately after Ryu Kokki retreated to Sousuke's field.

LP: (300/3200)

"Don't forget, any Spellcaster my Ryu Kokki battles with is instantly destroyed thanks to its effect. But since my monster is equipped with Mist Body, it can't be destroyed by battle. Now you will take direct attacks from my Des Lacooda and Spirit Reaper!"

Des Lacooda fired a dark beam from its mouth striking Ryusei on his chest.

LP: (300/2700)

Immediately after that, Spirit Reaper launched itself at Ryusei and slashed across his chest, causing Ryusei to stumble backwards.

LP: (300/2400)

"Spirit Reaper's effect now kicks in. When it inflicts battle damage; you have to discard a random card from your hand. However, since you only have one…"

"I get it," Ryusei interrupted.

He took a long hard look at his card which turned out to be Cybernetic Magician, before he put it in his Graveyard.

"See Ryusei, what did I tell you? This was inevitable."

"This duel isn't over yet."

"How is it not over? You have a completely blank field and nothing in your hand! While I have three monsters in play, all of them waiting to tear you apart."

Ryusei didn't react to the statement, still presenting a serious face that refused to believe that this was the end.

"You still haven't changed have you? Standing before me is the same rebel from three years ago, whose stupidity nearly cost me my life! In all that time, haven't you learned anything? Or is it acceptable for you to destroy other people's lives?"

"Trust me when I say that I truly learnt a harsh lesson that day. Since then, I've changed to become a better person and I've been trying to atone for my actions. However, that doesn't mean that I have to accept everything that lies before me."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You seem to believe that everything is pre-determined! I believe that nothing is ever set in stone! What you see as rebellious, I see as hope against adversity! So even if there's a 99% chance of failure, I will still believe in that 1% chance of success, no matter what!"

Sousuke shook his head in a disappointed fashion and stubbornly responded by saying,

"You're such a fool Ryusei, but fine! If you're so certain of that belief, allow me to remove that 1% chance of victory with this card! I play the Field Spell, Zombie World!"

"Zombie World?"

Ryusei looked around in an uncertain fashion as the duel field changed dramatically. The field was now a large barren landscape, forested with withering trees. The ground was littered with skulls and bones as a river of blood was streaming downwards in the middle of the land. Ryusei; was starting to notice a few monsters, ghosting from tree-to-tree, barely being able to make them out due to their fast movements.

"What's going on?"

"Welcome to Zombie World, a world where nothing but Zombies may exist."  
"Explain!"

"It's very simple Ryusei, as long as this card is in play, all monsters on the field and in any Graveyard are now Zombie-Type monsters."

"What did you say?"

"You heard me, but also as an added bonus, neither player can Advance Summon any monsters, except for Zombies."

Ryusei: ("Shit, he's trying to shut my Deck down as they're all Spellcasters. I can't bring out my best monsters because of that Field Spell. I have to get rid of it and quickly too. But even if I do manage to do that, his Ryu Kokki can't be destroyed by battle because of Mist Body. He's backed me into a corner here.")

"I bet you're thinking what am I going to do? How am I going to win? Well the answer is you're not, and the sooner you accept that, the better." Sousuke announced.

"I don't believe you!" Ryusei responded in a passionate manner.

"Man you are so stubborn! There are some things that you cannot stop from happening no matter what you do, and this is one of them! Now I flip Des Lacooda face-down and end my turn, your move Ryusei!"

Ryusei knew that his next card had to be useful. He looked at his Deck, knowing his next draw will determine whether he survives or falls this turn.

Ryusei: ("Please, let me draw something to give me a fighting chance.")

He placed his hand on his Deck and drew his card sharply and silently.

He flipped it and looked at it, expressing no emotion on his face. Sousuke guessed that he drew a useless card hence why Ryusei was stalling, so he started to smile. That was until Ryusei finally broke the silence.

"I set a monster face-down and end my turn."

Sousuke's face turned into an expression of discontent. He then started to feel rage after seeing Ryusei standing across him, looking virtuous and driven.

"You really piss me off, you know that! Look at you, standing there, acting all self righteous, despite what you did! You have no idea of the suffering I had to endure due to your stupidity!"

"I know, and I've said I'm sorry, so what more do you want from me?"

"I want payback, justice, revenge, whatever you may want to call it! I want to inflict as much pain onto you, as you did unto me."

After a brief silence Ryusei then stunned Sousuke by replying.

"So why don't you?"

"Huh?"

"Why don't you do it?"

"Do what?" Sousuke asked, wanting to make sure whether Ryusei is about to say what he's thinking.

"Why don't you come over here and beat me down until I can't walk?"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"Well that is what you want isn't it? If you wanted to exact your revenge you would have to put me in the same position that you were in. So I'm giving you a free pass to beat the crap out of me, and I won't try to stop you in any way."

Sousuke did clench his fist in temptation of accepting his offer, but he then released it, seemingly refusing to go ahead.

"Why would you make such a tempting but suicidal offer?"

"Because I want your forgiveness, and if that's what it takes for me to earn that, so be it."

"You would really put your life on the line just to earn someone's forgiveness? Doesn't that sound a bit familiar to what I said earlier?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You are basically sacrificing yourself for the benefit of someone else! What did I tell you before? Do you really have a death wish Ryusei? Because that's what you're going to get if you don't change right now!"

"I don't think so."

"What?"

"You keep saying that my actions are foolish. But if you truly want to protect someone, there is always an element of sacrifice. So I refuse to believe anything you say right now, because I know that what I'm doing is right."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, you're just saying those things to throw me off my game, to make me doubt my resolve. Well I can tell you now that I've seen through you're cheap tactics and they won't work anymore!"

Sousuke was silent at Ryusei's response. But inside, he felt angered at Ryusei's naivety of what he was letting himself in for.

"That's what you think? That I'm just spouting rubbish to put you off a card game? You have no idea what you're letting yourself in for Ryusei!"

"Then tell me, instead of giving me this cryptic crap!"

"Why should I? You obviously believe that you're going to defeat me, become a Guardian and fight the good fight. But tell me Ryusei, how can you be a Guardian if you truly wish you were over there?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You admitted earlier that you wish you died with your parents! So how can a person, who has no desire to live, make it his mission in life to defend others?"

At that moment Ryusei did realise there may be some error in his ways. It seems he finally got what Sousuke was trying to say to him all along. Since Ryusei sees himself as almost worthless, his life is worthless. Therefore, he is going to the extent of potentially throwing it away for the benefit of someone else. Not realising the potential damage it will cause to those around him.

"It seems you finally get it now. With your mindset, you cannot possibly be a Guardian. If you do, you will make the wrong choices and fail. Then everyone around you will suffer the consequences because of your weakness!"

"I won't let that happen!"

"Yeah you will, you won't realise it straight away but you will let it happen. But by the time you realise that, it would be too late."

Ryusei bowed his head and took a moment to take in everything he had just heard. After a brief moment of reflection, he then lifted up his head and replied,

"If that is the case, I will become stronger! Strong enough so that I can protect everyone I care about! Strong enough to defeat everyone who stands in my way! I will become strong enough so that when it comes down to it, I will make the right choice and no-one will suffer from it!"

Sousuke reacted angrily by replying,

"You are ridiculously naïve to think it will be that easy! Especially since, that to make the right choice may require an evil act! But then again, you're pretty good at playing with people's lives aren't you?"

"What do you mean by that, and what evil act are you talking about?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out! But you'll never find out as it's about time I finish you off! I draw, and summon Mezuki (1700/0) in attack mode!"

A strange looking monster was revealed, wielding a large razor sharp axe. What was strange was that it had a human torso and arms. But had the face of a horse and its legs had hooves instead of feet.

"I then flip my Des Lacooda (500/600) to draw another card,"

Sousuke looked at the card he drew and smiled as he knew he needed one more card to seemingly guarantee victory.

"Mezuki, attack Ryusei's face-down monster now!"

Mezuki stormed forward with vicious intent before sharply swinging its axe, crashing down on Ryusei's card which revealed a short blonde haired magician.

"You destroyed my Apprentice Magician (400/800), and when that's destroyed by battle I can Special Summon a level two or lower Spellcaster from my Deck in face-down defense. So I choose another Apprentice Magician (400/800)!"

"Ryu Kokki will follow up by attacking your Apprentice!"

Ryu Kokki, lifted its fist and swung down, delivering a hammer blow on the monster.

"Through the effect of my Magician I play Old Vindictive Magician (450/600) in face-down defense!"

"Damn," Sousuke muttered, realising he doesn't have a monster powerful enough to defeat it.

"I set my Lacooda again, set a card face-down and end my turn." He muttered.

Ryusei took a deep breath and prepared to begin his turn. He knew he would be able to win if he drew a strong monster that he can summon. He drew his card but got Pot Of Greed instead.

"I play Pot Of Greed, so I get to draw two cards!" Ryusei drew his cards, hoping to get a decent monster to attack and win. Unfortunately he drew Jowgen The Spiritualist and Pot Of Avarice, but he still had some hope of pulling it off this turn.

"I play Pot Of Avarice; I return my two Apprentice Magicians, Breaker, Kycoo and Maiden Of Macabre to my Deck. I then shuffle and draw two more cards!"

He saw the cards Call Of The Haunted and Royal Magical Library. Two cards that couldn't help him win at this moment, so he decided to play defensively.

"I summon Royal Magical Library in defense mode and set a card face-down. End turn."

"Is that it Ryusei? I expected a whole lot more from you, but you have been nothing more than a complete disappointment."

Ryusei growled at Sousuke's statement as he continued his tirade.

"Don't look at me like that. It's your fault that you can't win, especially since now, you are now about to witness my true power, my turn!"

Sousuke drew his card and got what he wanted, so he made his move.

"Firstly I play Graceful Charity, so I draw three cards and send two to the Graveyard (Zombie Master, Plaguespreader Zombie). I then release my Spirit Reaper and Mezuki to summon Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon (2400/2000)!"

Thick blue fog slowly arose from the river. It then faded away to reveal an altered Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon. What was different was that its body was constantly decomposing as well as its red eyes were much sharper and cold-blooded.

"Now I reveal my Call Of The Haunted, to revive my Zombie Master (1800/0)!" A disturbing man appeared on the field with a scraggly brown shirt, black cloak and long white hair. It gave an evil smile to Ryusei which sent a small chill down his spine.

"Now Mezuki's effect activates, I can remove it from play to Special Summon a Zombie monster from my Graveyard, so I revive Tuner Monster, Plaguespreader Zombie (400/200)!"

"A tuner?"

It was to Ryusei's horror that he realised what Sousuke was planning.

"I tune my Level two Plaguespreader Zombie with my Level four Zombie Master!"

Plaguespreader exploded into two green rings which descended onto Zombie Master, creating a pillar of light.

"Synchro Summon! Release your evil, Doomkaiser Dragon (2400/1500)!"

A large black dragon revealed itself with a powerful roar. It had widespread dark wings, sharp spikes around its body and along its tail. Also like Ryu Kokki, it had a red stone in its chest, where its heart would normally be.

"Shit! This isn't good,"

"Well it's about to get worse, when Doomkaiser is Synchro Summoned I can reborn a Zombie from either player's Graveyard."

"What?"

"That's right, and since your monsters count as Zombies as well I think I will take your Cybernetic Magician!"

"No!" he shouted as the ground opened up on Sousuke's field. Then a dark Cybernetic Magician slowly arose from the ground to standing position. It then gave an evil glare to Ryusei, treating him like he was its sworn enemy.

"How does it feel to have your best monster stolen from you?"

Ryusei groaned loudly as Sousuke continued his turn.

"I now flip my Des Lacooda, drawing another card. Following that I activate Cybernetic Magician's effect! I discard my Regenerating Mummy (1800/1500) to fix my Lacooda's attack at 2000!"

Ryusei was stunned as he looked at what he was up against.

"Five monsters, all with over 2000 attack points." He whispered.

"Exactly, now feel the pain that I had to endure for so long!" Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, attack his face-down monster, with Rasping Inferno Blast!"

Red-Eyes took a deep breath and roared out a black fireball, instantly shattering Ryusei's Old Vindictive Magician.

"At this moment my Vindictive Magician's effect activates! When flipped I can destroy a monster on your side so I choose your Ryu Kokki!"

Sousuke's monster instantly exploded but he had no concern for what had just happened.

"Now my Red-Eyes' effect triggers. Whenever it destroys a Zombie monster by battle, I can special summon it to my side of the field."

"What?"

"Yep, so say hi to your Old Vindictive Magician (450/600) again!"

Ryusei gritted his teeth intensely as the monster appeared to Sousuke's field.

"Doomkaiser Dragon (2400/1500) attacks Royal Magical Library (0/2000)!"

A dark fire, with repulsive smells was breathed out by the Synchro monster, burning Ryusei's monster until nothing was left.

"Now to finish you off for good! Cybernetic Magician, annihilate him with Light Cyber Blast!"

The magician swung his staff forward, releasing an almighty blast of burning white light aiming straight for Ryusei.

"I play my Trap Card, Call Of The Haunted! With this I can summon a monster in my Graveyard in attack mode! So I choose my Apprentice Magician (400/800)!"

"Fine, but you still will be taking damage!"

The beam hit Ryusei's monster, instantly vaporising it.

LP (300/400)

"Through my monster's effect I set another Apprentice Magician (400/800) on the field."

"All this bullshit again, you are obviously desperate Ryusei, hence why you keep using stalling tactics. Well it won't work for very much longer. Des Lacooda (2000/600), attack Ryusei's monster!"

The monster fired a black beam from its mouth which shattered the set monster.

"Through my monster's effect, I finally set Crystal Seer (100/100) on to the field!"

At that moment, Sousuke couldn't believe that Ryusei managed to play his way out of this turn. He was so sure of victory and the fact it didn't happen, was just unbelievable to him.

"I don't know how you managed to survive this turn, I have to give you credit for that. But I can assure you, next turn you are finished! I set two cards face-down on the field. Now Ryusei, make your final move so I can destroy you with your own monster."

Ryusei looked at the lone card in his hand, Jowgen The Spiritualist. He was starting to have severe doubts about whether he could get through this, especially with his favourite monster taken away from him. But then he remembered what he said earlier at becoming strong enough to protect everyone and defeat everything. As he tried to regain some belief within himself, Sousuke interrupted his thought process by shouting,

"What the hell are you doing? Make your move so I can put an end to this and an end to you!"

Sousuke looked at his face-downs, Shrink and Tutan Mask, so he was prepared for whatever Ryusei had to throw at him.

"And prove to your parents that you are a complete waste of space."

This statement caught Ryusei's attention as it stung a blow to his heart. He slowly looked over his shoulder to his parent's gravestones, feeling guilt each time he read their names in his head.

Ryusei: ("Mother, Father. Sousuke was right earlier on, I was being selfish and reckless and it cost both of us dearly. For that, I am truly sorry that I've hurt you and have brought shame on to your memory. However, since that day I've changed, for the better. I now make this promise to you to become someone that will leave their mark on the world. Someone that you can look down and smile on to, but most importantly, someone you can love and be proud of.")

"Are you going to stand their all day or make a move?"

Ryusei steadied himself, desperately hoping for a good card.

"My turn, draw!"

He drew Mystical Space Typhoon, which he grimaced at seeing. He figured he can solve one problem, but at this rate he will have no chance of winning.

"I play Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Zombie World!"

A large cyclone blew across the field, returning it to its original state which was the graveyard.

"I can tell from the look in your eyes Ryusei, you can't win and you know it." Sousuke said smugly.

"No, I have faith that I can do this. You believe that I'm destined to lose, destined to fail and destroy myself. I believe that I will rise above any challenge presented to me! That I will overcome all my fears, and perform my duty as a Guardian to the best of my ability, even if it means I have to sacrifice myself! That is how I see my fate, and I'll prove it."

"How?"

"I'll prove it by flipping my face-down Crystal Seer (100/100) into attack mode!"

"You've just made yourself wide open for an attack! You're trying to lose on purpose aren't you?"

"Crystal Seer has an effect, when it's flipped I can pick up the top two cards from my Deck. I can then add one to my hand and place the other one to the bottom of my Deck."

"Fine, do all that you want, since there is nothing that you can draw that will change things."

Ryusei closed his eyes and placed his fingers on his Deck. Sousuke wondered what Ryusei was doing as he ran his thumb up his Deck until the two cards from the top of the Deck were selected.

Ryusei: ("This is for…my family")

He drew them sharply, still with his eyes closed. He held them in front of his face and sharply opened his eyes. As he saw the two cards, a Monster and a Spell, he smiled, causing concern to Sousuke. He returned one to the Deck and started his turn.

"I summon Jowgen The Spiritualist (200/1300) in attack mode!"

"Attack mode, are you trying to be suicidal?"

"I need it to be this way so that I have the right conditions for this card; I activate the Spell, Magician's Unite!"

"What?"

"When I have two Spellcasters on the field in attack mode, I can select one of them and that monster's attack points become 3000! So I choose my Crystal Seer!"

"No!"

A mage's circle appeared on the field, entrapping both of Ryusei's monsters inside. The monsters were then surrounded with a white light, which seemed to transferring power from Jowgen right into Crystal Seer (3000/100).

Sousuke looked at Ryusei viciously, almost disgusted with his move.

"Ryusei!" he growled.

"Fate has answered my call Sousuke! I will become a Guardian, and will give my life in protecting those that I care about! That is who I am and nothing will ever change that!"

"ARGH! DAMN YOU!"

"CRYSTAL SEER, FUTURE VISION BLAST!"

Crystal Seer emitted energy from her palms, creating blue orb. The orb then grew significantly larger by each passing second as more and more energy was being fused into it.

Eventually, it grew large enough to fire an almighty blue energy beam, which completely engulfed Des Lacooda (500/600) and the rest of the monsters that was on Sousuke's field.

Sousuke was also engulfed by the beam and screamed in burning pain, before eventually disintegrating with everything else in the blast.

LP (0/400)

As the beam subsided, Ryusei fell to his hands and knees, breathing heavily due to exhaustion. He looked at his parent's gravestones once again with no feelings of guilt this time, as he knew that he will live up to his end of the bargain. Soon afterwards, he looked up and saw a bright light in the sky. He originally thought it was the sun breaking out, but the light was pure white and grew in intensity, Ryusei covered his eyes, but then a loud, elongated screech came from nowhere, hurting his ears. Before he could even react the light eventually surrounded him, giving off an intense heat. Ryusei started to scream from the feeling of his skin constantly burning until he suddenly raised his head from his desk.

He looked around the room in a panicky state, trying to figure out where he was. His eyes then caught on Shinji, sleeping in his bed. He then looked at his desk and saw the textbook and revision notes he was working on. He then realised that everything he experienced was just an intense dream. He ran his hands down his face to gather himself together and looked at the clock, which read 3:22am. He figured enough was enough, closed his books and decided to go to bed. As he collapsed onto his bed he felt he knocked something off the bed and onto the floor. He stretched his arm to pick it up from the floor and took a look to what it was. His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw a card, which had the picture of the dragon he had been dreaming about.

Ryusei: ("What…the hell?")

After the initial shock of seeing the card, he settled down as thoughts ran through his mind. He remembered things being said by Vydia, Tanya and Sousuke, all in relation to the choices of being a Guardian.

Ryusei: ("Stardust Dragon, this is supposed to be the Guardian Dragon entrusted to me. Vydia said, to successfully fight this battle I have to become one with my Dragon, but how am I supposed to become one with a card? More importantly, how am I supposed to fight a battle if it is a card? This doesn't make any sense to me, however there are others involved in this as well. I have to find out what they know so we can figure out where we go from here.")

Location: University Main Library

It was mid-morning about three weeks later since the intense dreams the group had. It was now heading towards the end of the month of May, with the majority of the exams for most students now being completed. At this time, the sun was on brightly but a stiff breeze blew cold enough to wear a jacket outside. Ayaka, now wearing a red cardigan over her dress, was sitting at a PC in the main library. She was re-reading some lectures online as part of her revision for her final exam in a few days. She then suddenly saw an email and noticed it was from Ryusei. She opened it and noticed that Hayate and Kasumi were also sent this email. It said,

_Hey_

_I need to talk to you; it's regarding something very important._

_I will be at the K Restaurant at 1:00pm._

_Please make sure you are there by then._

_Ryusei_

Ayaka read the email and wondered what Ryusei wanted to see her about that. She had a feeling of what it could be as she held her right arm, at the area where her mark was. She eventually let go and shut down the computer to continue her revision.

Location: Domino Town Centre

It was 12:58pm, with the weather still the same as before. Ryusei was sitting at a small, rectangular table that had enough room to seat four people at it in the K Restaurant. The table was located at the back right hand corner of the restaurant where you had the most privacy. He patiently waited while four drinks of water were set at the table, presumably one of each of the people he invited. As he was lost in his thoughts for a moment he heard a voice which made him snap back into reality,

"Hey,"

"He looked and noticed Ayaka was standing next to him.

"Ayaka!"

"You're surprised to see me?"

"No, not at all, just was thinking that's all." He replied as he moved over, so Ayaka could sit next to him.

"It seems that you've had a lot on your mind recently."

"What do you mean?"

"I know we haven't really talked since that day,…in the Atrium. But every time I see you, you seem to have an extra weight on your shoulders. Is everything all right?"

"To be honest…I don't really know. I feel that I'm…"

"Am I interrupting something?" a male voice interrupted.

Both Ryusei and Ayaka looked up to see Hayate and Kasumi standing in front of them with serious faces.

"I'm glad that the two of you could make it." Ryusei stated.

"Save it!" Hayate snapped. "You called us out here for a reason, so get on with it! I've got more important things to do than hang around for your nonsense!"

Hayate then sat down at his seat, right across Ryusei. A silent Kasumi then took to her seat and folded her arms. Her eyes were then fixed on Ryusei, implying that he should say what he has to say, as soon as possible.

"We're all here now Ryusei, so what was so important that you wanted to talk about?" Ayaka asked.

Ryusei took a sip of his drink and a deep breath afterwards; as he knew what he was going to say was going to be received as crazy.

"Basically about three weeks ago, I had a dream."

"Are you serious, you called us out to hear about a dream you had?" Hayate blasted.

"Let him finish Hayate," Ayaka responded, "Carry on Ryusei."

"It was a weird, crazy dream where all of us were in it, and basically we witnessed Domino City being destroyed."

"What?" a shocked Ayaka said.

"Yeah, this massive inferno came across and wiped out the city, we included. But we were transported elsewhere and split up taking separate paths. I think each path was different for everyone else, but I remember I was tested so severely, both physically and mentally. It was amazing that I'd somehow survived."

"What's your point?" Kasumi questioned in an unmoved manner.

"My point is that I think that dream was linked to that day, when we met Vydia."

"Not that Guardian nonsense again, if you want to believe that then fine, all the best to you. I on the other hand, will focus on reality. So I'm out of here!" Hayate exclaimed as he got up from his seat.

"Wait, Hayate!"

"Give me one good reason why I should?"

"Because when I woke up after that dream, I found this!"

Ryusei then put his hand in his pocket and slammed something onto the middle of the table. When he removed his hand, everyone was stunned to see the Stardust Dragon card present there.

"Isn't…that…?" Ayaka stuttered,

"Yeah, this was the dragon that Vydia said I was to be associated with, the dragon I've been dreaming about for so long now. This is why I have a feeling that Vydia must be telling the truth. There is no way that this could be some fairy tale. From what I saw and heard in my dream, I can sense that a battle is going to happen, and we like it or not are a part of it. This card right here is proof that these Dragons do exist and that I have accepted my duty to become a Guardian. But what I really want to know is that does anyone else have anything to share about this."

A tense silence was present around the table. No one wanted to say anything to break the tension. However, Ayaka finally built up the courage and said,

"I have to be honest now, I know the dream you were talking about Ryusei as I had it too,"

"You did?"

Ayaka nodded in response, as she went into her purse. She then pulled out a card and gently placed it onto the table, revealing Black Rose Dragon.

"I found this card in my room, around three weeks ago. But at the same time…"

She rolled up the right sleeve of her cardigan to her elbow and revealed the mark of a Guardian on her wrist.

"I woke up with this on my arm. So since that day, I had a feeling that Vydia was right as well. However, I wasn't sure whether I was the only one that went through this, so I couldn't say anything."

"Fortunately for you, you weren't the only one who went through this." Kasumi surprisingly stepped in.

"Huh?"

Kasumi then went to her Deck Pouch and pulled out Ancient Fairy Dragon, revealing it to the others before placing it on the table. She then rolled the sleeve of her jacket to reveal her mark. It was then that Ryusei figured out that everyone must have had this dream at the same time, therefore got their Dragons at the same time that he had. The entire table looked to Hayate, expecting him to do the same. Feeling under pressure, Hayate buckled and said,

"Fine!"

Hayate slammed the Red Dragon Archfiend card onto the table and rolled up his jacket to reveal his mark.

"There, are you happy now?"

"I can't believe it," Ayaka whispered, "Who would have thought that all this could turn out to be true."  
"So now you got what you wanted, we all admit that we have these so called Guardian Dragons or whatever. So now what? You want us to band together and go fight in the name of justice with Duel Disks?" Hayate asked sarcastically.

"I don't know; we need to see Vydia to find out what we are letting ourselves in for."

"Wow, don't they look pretty?" a female voice suddenly said.

The whole table turned around to see Tanya standing beside them.

"You!" Hayate snapped.

"I have never seen them so close before, I must admit, they look amazing…"

"What do you want Tanya?" Ryusei asked coldly.

"Ryusei, you are still as chilly as ever. Are you ever going to warm up to me?"

"Maybe when you stop being so shady…"

Tanya gave a little chuckle to his response,

"You still don't trust me? Maybe I can do something to help change your mind."

"And what would that be?"

"Like passing on some information,"

"Go on,"

"The enemy has already started making their move, so it won't be long until the fight will start."

"So what do we do?" Ryusei asked.

"You prepare for the upcoming battle, by becoming one with your Dragon."

"Sounds like a load of bullshit to me." Hayate growled.

"Hayate, Hayate. If you don't take care, you will not like what will happen when destiny catches up with you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means figure out how to work with your Dragon so you become a collective force. Then, when you feel you are ready, come and see Vydia and she will tell you everything you need to know. Anyway I've overstayed my welcome, so I will leave you to it."

"But…"

"Ciao!" She shouted as she went straight out of the door and onto the streets.

The whole table was silent, after hearing the news from Tanya. Ayaka then broke it by saying,

"So what do you think?"

"I think this is all just a big waste of our time. But she has no reason to lie, which partly makes me believe that there is an element of truth to what she said." Kasumi stated.

"But how are we supposed to 'become one' with our Dragon?"

"I have no idea, but we still have some time, until this actual battle begins. Hopefully by then we all figure it out and then when the time comes we will all be ready." Ryusei answered.

"I think you're right."

"I know that the four of us does not have a strong relationship. But to get through this we have to work together, at least until this is all over. It's the only way we will be able to win."

Ayaka nodded in agreement to Ryusei's comment. Ryusei acknowledged and then looked at the other two for confirmation. Kasumi was the first to speak out.

"Since you don't know me very well, I will tell you how I see it. Whenever a problem is presented to me, I deal with it by myself, always have and always will. So good luck with your team work, but don't count me in." Kasumi took her card, got up from her chair and walked out of the restaurant. Soon after Hayate followed the same procedure and replied,

"What she said," and headed out of the restaurant, which left Ryusei and Ayaka alone in the restaurant.

"So much for that," Ayaka replied.

"It's okay, eventually they will come around."

"So what are you going to do?"

Ryusei picked up his Stardust Dragon and stared at it, letting his thoughts distract him of everything surrounding him.

Ryusei: ("I'm pretty sure what Tanya said was true. Therefore, we only have a limited amount of time before we have to answer our call of duty. I will find a way to work with my Dragon, as well as become a stronger, more courageous person to do myself justice. So when the time comes, I will be ready for whatever destiny has to throw at me. We will overcome any fears and rise above all challenges this oncoming battle will bring. That is my belief, and that…is my fate as I see it.")

End of Chapter

Preview

With the first year of studies approaching its conclusion, Ryusei is still trying to figure out how to become one with his dragon. Sensing that Ryusei is heavily distracted by something, Hiro offers him the chance to come and work for him over the summer. After Ryusei rejects and insults him, Hiro challenges him to a duel where if he wins Ryusei has to come with him. Ryusei accepts and goes up against the person that taught him everything he knows about Duel Monsters. But also at the same time, sees an opportunity to use Stardust Dragon and see whether playing it, will help him in his cause.

Chapter 25-Master vs. Apprentice! Looking To Our Future! (Title tbc)

ORIGINAL CARDS

Curse Of The Undead  
Normal Spell  
Remove from play 2 Zombie-Type monsters from your Graveyard. Zombie monsters you control this turn cannot be destroyed by the effects of Spell and Trap Cards this turn. During the End Phase of the turn this card was activated, receive 800 points of damage for each you monster you control.


	26. Chapter 25 Master vs Apprentice!

This is the final chapter of the first arc of this fanfic, hopefully you will enjoy and continue to enjoy further writings as I improve as a writer. Sos without further ado, enjoy Chapter 25!

Location: Hiro's Home

It was a late morning in the first week of June, where a warm summer's day greeted the people of Domino. A few days after the Guardians met, it turned out that the exam period was almost over and the summer holidays were now set to begin. Lying in his bed with an uneasy mind was Ryusei, flicking through the cards in his Deck. He was steadily going through each one until he reached the last one, Stardust Dragon. As soon as his eyes met with this card, he started feeling a colossal amount of pressure on himself. He continued staring at the card as past thoughts were being recalled in his mind.

_**FLASHBACK  
Tanya: "You prepare for the upcoming battle by becoming one with your Dragon… figure out how to work with your Dragon so you will become a collective force."**_

_**Vydia: "Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter as it is the truth. You four are the chosen ones to defend us from this evil. You must stop the liberation."**_

Ryusei sighed as he started to think heavily of what this entailed.

Ryusei: ("We are supposed to be the ones to stop this liberation, and to do this we have to become one with our dragon. But how are we supposed to do that? I've been racking my brains over the last few days and I still don't have the answer. I wish it could be as easy as learning how to use it, since it is only a card. But at the same time, I feel a huge weight on my shoulders every time I look at it. Is this thing really as powerful as Vydia claims it to be? Or is there more to it than meets the eye, with me being involved in something bigger than I can comprehend.")

Ryusei gathered his Deck together and placed it in his pouch before getting up from his bed. He decided to head out to clear his head from all this thinking about his dragon.

He casually walked down the stairs and was about to head straight out of the front door. However, as soon as he reached the door a voice called out.

"Hey!"

Ryusei stopped in his tracks and turned to notice that it was his Uncle Hiro that called him.

"Where are you off to?" Hiro asked.

"Out,"

"Hold on for a little while."

"Why?"

"Because I need to talk to you about something,"

"Can't it wait?"

"No, it can't."

Ryusei recognised from Hiro's tone of voice that it must be something important. So he walked to the armchair in the front room and sat down asking,

"What do you want to talk about?"

**Chapter 25-Master vs. Apprentice! Looking To Our Future!**

Hiro went and sat down on the sofa to the left of Ryusei and started to talk.

"Well, I know that you've finished your first year of University, of which I'm very proud of you for achieving. However, the reason I need to talk to you is because…"

Hiro then suddenly stopped talking as he noticed Ryusei wasn't even paying attention to what he was saying. Ryusei was instead staring blankly out the window, thinking about what has been going on for the last few weeks.

"Hey!" Hiro shouted.

"What?"

"Are you even listening to what I was saying?"

Ryusei paused for a while before he unconvincingly replied,

"Err…yes?"

"What is wrong with you? You just finished your first year so you should be out celebrating! But instead I've been stuck with your ugly depressing face for the last few days!"

"That was uncalled for,"

"Look, I know there is something going on with you, so what is it?"

"Nothing is going on,"

"Like I'm supposed to believe that, out with it as maybe I can help."

Ryusei paused, thinking whether he should tell him the truth about what's been happening. But then he remembered what happened when he tried to show him the mark on his arm a while ago, so he chose not to tell him.

"I just had a lot on my mind recently, that's all. I'm not denying there are a few minor issues, but it's something that I'll be able to deal with without too much trouble."

"Fine, I respect your decision. But if you do need to talk, you know I'm here right?"

"Yeah, thanks. Anyway what were you saying?"

"Right, basically to make a long story short, I've been asked to oversee a project at work. It involves the implementation of a new system across our branches."

"Okay, I imagine that's good news, so what's the issue?"

"The issue is that the project lasts three months and it will be based in Nagano, but will involve travelling all across Japan."

"So basically you're going to leave me on my own for three months? That's not really a problem."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I was thinking that if you don't have any plans, whether you would like to come along?"

"What?"

"Yeah, I was thinking that it would be good for you. One is that you'll get to travel around the country. You'll also get to meet some of the people that I work with, but most importantly, its hands on experience on something that is related to your degree."

Ryusei looked deep in thought about the idea of working with Hiro,

"Look, you don't have to make a decision right now…"

"No thanks,"

"What?"

"I don't want to go,"

"Why…not?" an irritated Hiro grumbled, trying very hard to keep calm.

"The last thing I need is to travel around the country to be bossed around by you. I've just finished my first year and you said so yourself that I should be out celebrating. So have a good trip, but I want a relaxing summer, so don't count me in."

"WHAT THE HELL?" Hiro shouted as he jumped out from the sofa.

"I've just given you an amazing opportunity and you throw it back in my face? Do you have any idea how many strings I had to pull to get this opportunity for you?"

"Well I didn't ask for you to do that didn't I? It's your own fault for assuming that I'll be interested."

"Why, you…" he growled viciously.

"Anyway, I going to head out in a little while; it's been a good talk." Ryusei said sarcastically as he got up from his chair and headed up to his room.

An incensed Hiro was standing at the bottom of the stairs with his arms folded, looking at the top of the stairs with vicious eyes.

"I'll show that ungrateful bastard!" he muttered as he stormed off.

About ten minutes later Ryusei went out of his room, and walked down the stairs. He still had the intention of heading out just for some fresh air and to re-focus on the task set out to him. As soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he noticed Hiro standing to his right.

"What?" Ryusei asked.

Hiro grabbed a Duel Disk from the chair and forced a surprised Ryusei to take it.

"We are duelling that's what."

"Come again?"

"We duel; if you win I will never speak another word of this again. Plus you can stay here and do whatever you want while I'm gone, and I will not say anything when I return, no matter how much trouble you cause. But if you lose, you will come and work with me on this project with no complaints, and you will give me 100% commitment."

Ryusei smiled and took little time in answering,

"Fine, I accept. However, it would be dangerous for you to underestimate me. Even though it's been a long time since we last faced-off."

"Don't forget I'm the one that taught you everything you know about this game, so don't get too confident. But then again, I'll be looking forward to see what new things you have picked up, this should be…interesting."

The two headed outside to their back garden. It was nothing special, but a generally large garden with enough space for the two to conduct a match. Both duellists fastened their Disks and inserted their Decks into them.

"Are you ready?" Hiro asked.

"More than ever," Ryusei replied.

The two drew their five cards to start off the match as they both shouted

"DUEL!"

LP (Ryusei-4000/Hiro-4000)

Location: University Car Park

Around the same time, a few students were placing their belongings into vehicles in preparation of leaving their dorms for the summer holidays. In a few short moments, Hayate arrived at the Car Park carrying two suitcases. He met Tasuku there as he opened the boot to his grey saloon car. Hayate then, slotted both suitcases next to the few other suitcases in the boot and then closed it.

"You all done?" Yuri asked as he popped his head out of the passenger seat window.

Hayate was about to respond but his eyes then met Ayaka's, who was placing her suitcase into a taxi nearby.

"Yeah, you go on ahead, I'll catch up with you shortly."

"All right man, see you later."

Tasuku got into his car, started the engine and drove off. Hayate then walked up to his motorbike and sat on it as Ayaka walked up to him.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hi,"

"How are you doing?"

"Good, how about you?

"I'm not too bad thanks, got any plans for the summer?"

"Just to enjoy it as it's a welcome break from the stresses of uni. How about you, got any plans?"

"My sisters will be coming over, so I will mainly be spending time with them."

"That's good,"

An awkward silence started to grow for a short while before Ayaka broke it by saying,

"Hayate, about what happened…"

"Please don't start with all that crap again,"

"I just don't understand,"

"Understand what?"

"Why do you refuse to see what's blatantly in front of you? You have been in denial ever since this whole thing came to light! This is happening whether we like it or not, and the sooner you accept that the better!"

"I already have."

"What?"

"I've known for quite a while now that I'm trapped in this whole mess and there is nothing I can do about it."

"Then why are you so determined to be against everyone? As Ryusei said, we need to work together to get through this. If you say that you've already accepted that you are a part of this, why don't you help us all come together?"

"Look Ayaka, I'm not one to be dictated to. Ryusei, Vydia, Father are all the same. They are people who keep telling me what to do, and what choices I should make. They are trying to forge a path they want and expect me to follow, so I say screw the lot of them."

"Hayate!"

"As far as I'm concerned, I write my own destiny and no-one will ever be able to change that."

Hayate then put on his helmet, flipped his visor down and ignited the engine of his bike. He revved the bike a few times before shooting out of the University grounds, leaving Ayaka to contemplate his words.

Location: Hiro's Home

"My turn, draw!" Ryusei declared as he drew his card to start the match with his uncle.

"I summon Maiden of Macabre (1700/0) in attack mode! Next I set a card face-down on the field, your move."

"Is that all? You're gonna have to step your game up if you want to win this duel, I draw!"

Hiro drew his card and smiled as it was the exact card he needed.

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700) in attack mode!"

A man appeared on the field, but his face was partially covered so he couldn't be identified. He wore a long blue robe over his attire which had singular gold stones on his shoulders and chest. The sceptre he wielded was the same height as itself and was generally silver with a gold orb on the top.

"Wait a second; don't tell me that it's coming already?"

Hiro just smiled as he continued his move.

"I next play Graceful Charity, so I draw three cards and then discard two." He drew his cards and chose to discard another Skilled Dark Magician and Apprentice Magician. At that moment the gold stone on his right shoulder lit up, representing a Spell Counter.

"When a Spell Card is played, my Skilled Dark Magician gets a Spell Counter."

Ryusei growled in frustration as he knew what was coming.

"I next play Premature Burial, so I pay 800 Life Points to summon a monster from my Graveyard in attack mode. So I choose to revive my Apprentice Magician (400/800)!"

LP (4000/3200)

"Now since I played a Spell, my monster gets another Spell Counter. However, when Apprentice Magician is summoned, I can place a Spell Counter on a card that can receive them. So another counter goes to my Skilled Dark Magician, making a grand total of three Spell Counters!"

The remaining two stones on his left shoulder and his chest lit up, causing concern on Ryusei's face.

"Now, my Skilled Dark's effect activates! When it has three counters on it I can release it, in order to summon from my Deck, Dark Magician (2500/2100)!"

Skilled Dark Magician evaporated in an enchanting purple light. When the light subsided, it revealed a powerful young magician. It wore a sharp purple uniform and hat which matched the colour of his hair. As it descended onto the field it spun its long green sceptre between his fingers in preparation for an attack.

"Dark Magician, attack Maiden of Macabre with Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician twirled its staff and fired a distortion of overwhelming black energy which instantly destroyed Ryusei's monster.

LP (3200/3200)

"Now Apprentice Magician, attack Ryusei directly!"

The monster fired a small purple ball of magic, striking Ryusei in the chest.

LP (2800/3200)

"Damn it!" Ryusei muttered.

"I set a card face-down and end my turn."

Hiro smiled at Ryusei as if to say he still has what it takes.

Ryusei: ("Damn, I'm already on the back foot. I forgot how quickly he can get his ace monster out. I'm going to have to strike back quickly if I want to win this.")

"My turn, draw!" Ryusei drew The Tricky and smiled at the card.

"I discard Frequency Magician to Special Summon The Tricky (2000/1200), Tricky will attack your Apprentice Magician now!"

LP (2800/1600)

"Due to Apprentice's effect, I set Old Vindictive Magician (450/600) on the field."

"Next I reveal my face-down, Call Of The Haunted, to resurrect Frequency Magician! I now tune my Level 2 Frequency Magician with my Level 5 Tricky!"

Ryusei's Tuner emitted high frequency sound waves which caused it to morph into green rings. In turn the rings descended onto The Tricky, creating a pillar of light.

"Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Arcanite Magician (400/1800)!"

As the monster burst out of the light in a grand entrance, it crouched down afterwards in defense position.

"When Arcanite Magician is Synchro Summoned it gains two Spell Counters on it, increasing its attack by 1000 per counter (Arcanaite (2400/1800)! But Arcanite has another effect; by removing a Spell Counter on my side on the field I can destroy a card on the field. So I remove both to destroy both your monsters!"

Arcanite (400/1800) held out its staff as it transferred its power within him to his staff. It then fired two blue rays which instantly shattered both of Hiro's monsters.

"I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"Nicely done, but I now reveal my face-down, Birthright to revive my Dark Magician (2500/2100)!"

"What?"

"You didn't think you would get rid of it that easily did you?"

"I hoped so,"

"Haha, you still have a lot to learn about the game Ryusei. My turn, draw! I release my Dark Magician, to summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)!"

A happy-go-lucky blonde haired girl appeared onto the field. Her uniform was navy blue with elements of pink across all parts of the uniform.

Ryusei: ("The fact that he summoned her only means one thing.")

"My Dark Magician Girl gains 300 attack points for every Dark Magician in the Graveyard. Currently there is only one so her attack points stands at 2300,"

"But there is more to it than that is there?"

"You know me too well Ryusei, I now activate the Spell, Sage's Stone! When I have a Dark Magician Girl on the field, I am able to summon a Dark Magician from my Deck! So come forth, Dark Magician (2500/2100)!"

"This isn't good,"

"Don't wallow in a bad situation, keep focused! Because if you can't prevent this attack, you will lose this turn," Hiro said as he glanced at a card in his hand called Magical Blast.

"Dark Magician Girl, attack Arcanite Magician with Dark Burning Attack!"

"I flip my face-down Magical Dimension; with this I release my Arcanite to Special Summon a Spellcaster from my hand, so now I summon Chaos Command Magician (2400/2000)! Then as a bonus I can destroy a monster on your side of the field, so I choose your Dark Magician!"

Dark Magician was trapped in the yellow coffin from Magical Dimension, which then exploded. But in doing so, Dark Magician Girl's attack points rose up again (2600/1700).

"Dark Magician Girl, continue with your attack!"

She lifted her sceptre in the air and fired a pink ball of magic which engulfed Ryusei's monster.

LP (2600/1600)

Hiro: ("Hmm, he knew Dark Magician would be more of a threat due to the amount of combos I can make with him, while Dark Magician Girl is limited to attack power. Good thinking Ryusei, you're definitely growing as a duellist.")

"I end my turn Ryusei, your move."

Ryusei: ("I have to do something to swing the duel back to my advantage. I know he's going to do something again with Dark Magician Girl, or possibly another Dark Magician. But if I can strike now I will take the ascendency and win this, it all depends on how I play my cards.")

Domino Town

Inside one the skyscrapers of the business district in Domino was Valon. He was on the top floor in the same dark room where he and his group watched the duel between Ryusei and Hayate in what seemed such a long time ago. As he took his seat at the head of the table, the five people who watched the duel with him entered the room. They all took to their respective seats, identified by Roman Numerals. The two women occupied seats II and V, while the men took the seats I, III and IV.

"Welcome, I hope you all had a safe journey here," Valon said to the group.

"We did, so what's this meeting about?" III asked.

"I mainly wanted an update on our progress on locating the dragons."

"To be honest we haven't got much. The trail went cold almost straight after that duel happened. We have tried numerous methods and have the two duellists under surveillance incase something does develop, but at this moment in time it has yielded no results." IV stated.

"Sounds like you're not doing your job properly." I responded, which irked IV.

"Maybe we would complete our task quicker if everyone was involved in the search."

"I don't need to get involved, I already have my target."

"Look, you may think you're better than the rest of us due to your position and who you are, but that can easily change in a few short minutes."

"That's an interesting statement; do you want to settle this now?"

"I'm game if you are,"

"Now now children," V interrupted. "There's no need to fight over this, especially at a time like this."

"Exactly, time is of the essence so we really need to focus and put any disagreements behind us." Valon continued, giving strong glares at both I and IV.

"As for your report, that's not what I wanted to hear. However their appearances are a factor that is completely out of our control. But before I make a decision of what to do next, I need to know the results of our other angle."

"You mean the participants of that Duel Tournament?" II asked in response.

"That's correct, what did you find out from your investigation."

"Not much I'm afraid. I know that since the tournament finished they have met as a group a couple of times. One meeting was at a restaurant and the other was nearby the Atrium."

"The Atrium?"

"That's correct."

Valon was deep in thought as he took in the information he had just heard, generating ideas of where to take things from here. But then he remembered something about the Atrium that sped up his decision making.

"Our main focus has now changed. Everyone here should now keep a close eye on the group of people that was in that meeting."

"Why should we do that? Why only those five people when it could potentially be thousands of people who possess one of the dragons?" IV asked.

"Let me guess, another hunch right?" V added.

"You could say that. What's more important is that we need to remember that we must find out who holds the dragons as quickly as possible. Only then we can move forward with our plan, and finally…liberate this world from its darkness."

Valon: ("It seems that another player has made themselves known in this game. Whether they are a friend or foe remains to be seen.")

Location: The Atrium

Around the same time as Valon's meeting, Vydia was sitting at the head of the table in conference room 'G-5'. She was reading a report of some kind as she tapped her pen seemingly gently against the table repetitively. After a short while she put her pen down and clasped her hands together, presenting an uncertain posture. She then noticed the entrance door suddenly opened, with Tanya poking her head out the door.

"Hey sis,"

"Hi," Vydia responded as Tanya walked in. She took a seat near Vydia and leant back on the chair in a relaxed fashion.

"What's going on?"

"Just work, that's all."

"Uh huh, and?"

"And what?"

"Don't give me that, I know you too well. When something is bothering you always put your hands together and sit in that arched position. Not to mention the fact that you bang your pen on the table ridiculously loud."

"It wasn't loud,"

"It's not loud to you because you're already lost in your little world before you realise it, now what's the problem?"

Vydia sighed in acceptance that something was wrong, as well as it's hard to put anything past her sister.

"The Guardians,"

"What about them?"

"I think they will fail."

"What?"

"They are obviously not ready for their task and I don't think they ever will be, which would mean that all our work will have been for nothing."

"What has brought this on?"

"I've just been thinking about it, as well as my instincts tell me that they don't have the capability to perform the task in hand, despite them passing their tests."

Tanya then sighed, in acceptance but also disappointment of Vydia's feelings.

"I must admit they haven't fully understood what they're being dragged into, but that's why we are here, to guide them towards their goal. Besides, you're the one that always told me to have faith in others, so I'm surprised to see you having doubts when really it should be me."

This statement made Vydia relax a little bit and become more composed and certain.

"So don't worry about it. When the time comes they will be ready, and then we will be able to achieve our goals as well, okay?"

"Okay, thank you Tanya, I'm glad you're by my side at a time like this."

"That's what family is for, anyway, I'm heading out to do a couple of things so I'll see you later sis."

Tanya then got up from her chair and walked out of the room, leaving a calmer Vydia to go back to her work.

Location: Hiro's Home

Ryusei drew his card and got Morphing Jar, a new addition he made to his Deck. He then had the feeling that this card will determine the outcome of this duel, so he made his move.

"I set a monster face-down and a card face-down, your move."

"My turn, I play Pot Of Greed, so I draw two cards!"

Hiro drew his cards and got Dark Eradicator Warlock and Prisma, which made him, smile.

"I summon Elemental Hero Prisma (1700/1000)!"

"Great," Ryusei responded in a sarcastic manner.

"Prisma's effect allows me to reveal Dark Paladin to you. In return I send a Dark Magician from my Deck to the Graveyard so that my Prisma becomes Dark Magician!" Prisma's crystalline body became a spectrum of colours before morphing into a Dark Magician.

"Now since another Dark Magician is in my Graveyard, my Dark Magician Girl gains another 300 points (2900/1700)! But that's not all; because now I release my Dark Magician to special summon Dark Eradicator Warlock (2500/2100)!"

A more powerful and imposing magician ascended next to Dark Magician Girl. It had a very similar appearance to Dark Magician; however it brandished a three pronged sceptre. It also wore a long swooping purple cape, which was attached to its burgundy and gold uniform.

"Anything else?"

"Patience Ryusei, I play the Spell, Magical Blast! So you will take 200 points of damage for each Spellcaster on my field. But my Eradicator's effect activates first. When a Normal Spell is activated you take 1000 points of damage."

"What?" Ryusei shouted but before he could react, two magical balls released from Eradicator and the Spell merged together and landed right in front of Ryusei. Ryusei put his hands up to protect himself from the blast as he took 1400 points of damage.

LP (1200/1600)

"Now Dark Magician Girl, attack Ryusei's monster with Dark Burning!

"I reveal my Trap, Mirror Force! So now all your attacking monsters are destroyed!"

"I set a card face-down and end my turn."

Ryusei drew his card and went on the offensive.

"I flip my Morphing Jar (700/600) so its effect activates! We discard our entire hands and then draw five cards."  
Both players drew their five cards and smiled at the results they were given.

"I summon Magician's Valkyria (1600/1800) in attack mode! Now my Valkyria…"

"I activate my Threatening Roar! So you cannot declare an attack this turn!" Hiro interrupted.

"Damn it, I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"I'm up then," Hiro declared as he began his Draw Phase.

"I play the Spell, Pot of Avarice! So I return five monsters (Dark Magician x2, Skilled Dark Magician, Apprentice Magician, Dark Eradicator Warlock) to my Deck, and then draw two cards!"

Hiro drew his cards and continued his attempt to defeat Ryusei this turn.

"I play the Spell, Dark Magic Curtain, so by paying half my Life Points I can Special Summon a Dark Magician form my Deck, so show yourself, Dark Magician (2500/2100)!"

LP (1200/800)

As the monster appeared on the field again, Ryusei's expression displayed discontent.

Ryusei: ("Dark Magician, again? He's worse than Yuji with his Red-Eyes. But I have two face-downs so if he attacks, I've got protection.")

"I now play the Spell, Dark Magic Attack!"

"No!"

"When I have a Dark Magician out, I can destroy all your Spells and Traps Ryusei, leaving you unprotected for an attack!"

"I chain your card by revealing my face-down Enemy Controller, shifting your Dark Magician into defense mode!"

Dark Magician was forced to its knees just as Ryusei's back row of cards shattered instantly.

Hiro looked at his hand and saw three cards that would set him up for victory.

"I set three cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn, draw!"

Ryusei drew Magical Exemplar and looked at the other cards in his hand Brain Control and Smashing Ground.

Ryusei: ("Alright, the things are in place to win this duel. I just have to take my time and make the right moves, simple enough.")

"I summon Magical Exemplar (1700/1400) in attack mode! I then activate my Brain Control! Therefore, I give up 800 Life Points to take control of your Dark Magician!"

LP (400/800)

"I won't let that happen, I activate Dedication Through Light And Darkness!"

"What?"

"That's right, because of this Spell, Dark Magician goes to the Graveyard and then in its place, I summon Dark Magician Of Chaos (2800/2600)!"

A very slim male magician with long black hair was summoned. His attire was completely black with hints of purple on his chest, boots and hat. The sceptre he wielded had the same colour scheme as his uniform and stood just as tall, if not even slightly taller than him.

"Also as a bonus, Dark Magician of Chaos adds a Spell Card from the Graveyard to my hand." Hiro added as he selected Pot Of Greed.

In the meantime though, Magical Exemplar had four yellow balls light up above her head, representing four Spell Counters.

"I next play Smashing Ground, which destroys a monster on your side with the highest defense!"

A large fist came from the sky, and crushed Hiro's monster.

"By your own monster's effect when it leaves the field it is removed from play. Plus my Exemplar gains another two Spell Counters!"

"I know, I know. Good work Ryusei, now feel free to attack me and win."

Ryusei was about to declare his attack but then a thought rushed to his head.

Ryusei: ("Wait a minute, why did he just say that? Does he know he will lose if I attack? Or is he playing tricks on me and wants me to attack? He still has two face-down cards on the field, of which I'm certain one of them will prevent an attack. However I only need one attack to go through to win, so should I risk it? But then again if it was a Trap like Mirror Force, then my field would be wiped and I'll lose for sure next turn. Plus the other one could be Magician's Circle as he hasn't played that Trap yet and that's one of his favourites. He would require me to attack to activate that card, putting him at an advantage. Especially as he would likely summon another Dark Magician Girl. But at the same time, I can easily call out Jowgen and use its effect to wipe out his field. So therefore, I have to attack to force his hand and hope for the best!")

"I shift my Morphing Jar (700/600) and Valkyria (1600/1800) into defense mode and then have my Exemplar attack you directly!"

"I activate my face-down, Call Of The Haunted, with it I can revive my Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700) in attack mode!"

"Damn,"

Ryusei: ("Now what should I do? I know next turn he will get Counters to bring back Dark Magician, and if my Valkyria is destroyed I'll have no protection. I have to find a way to hold him off for the next turn, but I have no face-downs to play, only Exemplar and her counters.")

It was then Ryusei realised that there was an unexpected play he could make to swing the duel in his favour.

Ryusei: ("There is a way….Stardust Dragon, its most probably my only way to save myself in this duel. But is it okay to use such a card in a duel like this, after what I've been feeling about it? Should I use it despite what I've been told about Guardian Dragons? Would things get out of control like the last time I faced Hayate? I guess I won't know until I try, so here goes.")

"I call off my attack and then use my Exemplar's effect! I remove Counters from it to special summon a Spellcaster whose Level is equal to the number of counters I remove. So I remove two to summon Tuner Monster, Frequency Magician (800/400)!"

"Thank you,"

"What?"

"I reveal my Trap, Dark Renewal!"

"No!"

"When you summon a monster I can release the monster you summoned and a monster on my field. In return, I get to summon a Spellcaster from my Graveyard. So be reborn, Dark Magician (2500/2100)!"

Ryusei was silent in realisation of his plan getting screwed over by one card.

"I end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" Hiro declared.

"I play Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." After Hiro had drawn his cards, he knew he had won this duel."

"Sorry Ryusei but this Duel is over."

"It's not over yet,"

"Yes it is, as these three cards that I'm holding right now, will wipe out your entire field."

"What?"

Hiro smiled and made his move to prove his point.

"I activate two copies of Thousand Knives! When I have a Dark Magician on the field I can destroy a monster on the field. But since I've played two copies, two monsters are being destroyed."

One thousand knives appeared on either side of Dark Magician. They then shot out at high velocity, eliminating Morphing Jar and Magical Exemplar.

"Next I activate the Spell, Knight's Title!"

"Knight's Title?"

"With this I can release a Dark Magician, and in its place I can summon Dark Magician Knight (2500/2100)!"

The emblem of a blue shield and swords merged with Dark Magician, transforming him into a powerful warrior. His appearance changed as his attire now changed into a knight's armour and helmet. Along with this were a black cape and a large sword in where the handle looked familiar to Dark Magician's sceptre.

"One thing you should know, when Dark Magician Knight is summoned, I can destroy a card on the field, like your Valkyria."

Ryusei growled as Hiro's monster ran its hand across its blade causing it to glow. It then charged forward and slashed downwards on Magician's Valkyria, destroying it.

"Dark Magician Knight, attack Ryusei directly!"

Without breaking stride, Dark Magician Knight, flicked it's wrist to gain a stronger grip and performed a slash across Ryusei's chest.

LP (0/800)

Ryusei bent his head down, acknowledging his loss as Hiro switched off his Duel Disk and walked up to him.

"Ryusei," he said in a gentle tone.

Ryusei lifted his head to face Hiro, expecting him to say something comforting. But instead he got a slap across the back of his head.

"What the hell?" Ryusei exclaimed whilst rubbing his head.

"That's for being an idiot! Haven't I taught you anything?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"When I said feel free to attack, that was only to trick you! It was a time where you should have remembered what I taught you. Treat every single face-down card as a counter to your play! The fact that you fell straight into my strategy so easily, disappoints me."

"I know, I was guilty of over thinking I guess."

"You're definitely was as I could tell from your reaction from seeing my Skilled Dark. You worried way too much about that card then about yourself."

"I know, I know."

"You shouldn't let the field change how you play. You're supposed to adapt the field so it suits your style of play. When you failed to do that, my win was inevitable. That's the only reason why I won today."

"You're right, but I guess it happens sometimes."

"Hmm, but more importantly, about this project,"

"I'll go with you,"

"Well actually I was going to say…"

"I gave you my word that if I lose I will go with you, so forget what you were going to say. However, I do have a condition."

"What's that?"

"Teach me some more about the game to make this trip bearable. It seems I still have a lot to learn to be as good as you."

"Deal," Hiro responded, whilst outstretching his hand. Ryusei grabbed it and shook hands with him firmly, as the agreement was made.

Location: University Car Park

It was mid-morning on the next day, with the sun just breaking out from heavy clouds on a mild day. In the car park Ryusei was putting his suitcase and holdall bag into the boot of Hiro's car. As soon as he closed the boot he noticed Vanessa and Shinji walking towards him.

"You go on ahead, I'll catch up with you soon," he said to Hiro. Hiro nodded in response and went inside his car. He started the engine and drove off just as Vanessa and Shinji reached Ryusei.

"Hey," Vanessa greeted.

"Hey," he responded back.

"You're all set to go?" Shinji asked.

"Nearly, I'm just heading back home to sort out a few things before setting off to Nagano."

"It's a shame you're not going to be around this summer, I was hoping all three of us would be able to hang out." Vanessa stated with a slight disappointing tone in her voice.

"True, but this kind of thing would be greatly beneficial for me. But don't worry, I'll keep in contact and maybe we can meet up a few times during the summer, if we all have some free time."

"That would be great!" Vanessa stated.

Ryusei went to Shinji and shook his hand with a smile on his face.

"I should be going now, but have a good summer and I'll see you around Shinji."

"You too, Ryusei." Shinji responded.

As he went over to Vanessa to shake her hand, Vanessa instead hugged him, surprising Ryusei.

"Take care, Ryusei."

"You…too, Vanessa,"

Vanessa let go, ending the embrace as Ryusei walked towards his bike to the left of him. He picked up his black jacket, resting on the seat of the bike and put it on. He then got on his bike and started the engine.

"I'll see you in a few months!" he shouted just before he put his helmet on. He revved the engine a few times and signalled goodbye to Vanessa and Shinji. Ryusei then rode off out of the University and on to the main road.

"What do you think Vanessa?" Shinji asked.

"I think he's hiding something, but I can't say I blame him. He's probably thinking the less we know the better it would be for him to deal with."

"But he should know by now that we can help him, he has to be able to trust us."

"I know; that's why this summer I vow to become a stronger, just as Tanya said. That way I can prove to him that I can help him, no matter what the problem."

"I agree, which is why I'll join you."

"Shinji?"

"I'm still indebted to Ryusei; therefore, I want to be there for him when he needs help. If he knows that he can rely on us, it will make all the difference when hard times come around."

Vanessa smiled at Shinji, and nodded in acceptance of his decision. She looked at the open road in front of her, thinking about Ryusei. At the same time, Ryusei was having thoughts while riding down the same road.

Ryusei: ("As much as I wish this time I have now is about this project with Hiro, it's not. More importantly I have to figure out this secret of joining with the Guardian Dragon. This battle is approaching as each day passes by, and when the time comes, I must be ready. So I will promise myself, when the time does come, I _will_ be ready!")

End of Chapter


	27. Chapter 26 Second Year Return

Sorry for the huge delay readers. Had to make some tweaks and changes to the story as well as things being hectic at work. Anyway I'm glad to be able to get to writing again and look forward to writing this new arc. I hope you enjoy this chapter and future ones to come. So without further ado, enjoy Chapter 26!

It was a mild evening in the middle of September, approximately three months since all of the students at Domino University, broke up for their summer holidays. The sun was halfway through its process of setting, which in turn created a beautiful orange skyline, softly lighting the ground below. As the sun continued its rapid descent, the roads below started to darken. Eventually, night fell, and with it a calming silence, displaying a brief moment of tranquility. However very shortly, the roar of a motorcycle racing down the road ripped through the air, shattering the serene atmosphere.

The motorcycle was metallic blue and was being rode on by a male rider, wearing a black helmet. The rider turned his head slightly to the right to see the fast approaching road sign. You can sense he briefly smiled whilst he accelerated past the sign, especially since he was returning to familiar ground with the sign saying 'Domino City – 20km'.

Location: Domino University

It was now mid-morning on the next day, which happened to be the start of the week where students begin to return for their next year of study. In the warm, bright day that was presented to this institution, many students were catching up with friends, unpacking their luggage in their dorm rooms, or dealing with some issues regarding their studies.

Inside the main common room on the ground floor of the Domino East Dorm was Vanessa, tensely seated on one of the few large brown sofas within the place. She was holding a glass of water, staring blankly at her drink while deep in thought. She then put one hand into her Deck Pouch and pulled out a certain card. She looked at it intensely whilst remembering something she was told.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_**TANYA:**_ _**"If you really want to help your friend, become stronger. Something big is coming and if you don't want to be bystanders, be true to yourself and focus on becoming better."**_

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" a male voice said.

Vanessa then looked up to see it was Shinji who said that, who has now joined her on the sofa. Vanessa quickly put the card away and replied in a defensive manner,

"What? No! Why would I be thinking about him?"

"Because he's your friend and you miss him?"

"Yeah, he's a friend who hasn't bothered to contact us for the entire summer."

"Maybe he's been busy. I mean, I imagine this project must be pretty full on."

"Yeah, with so much work on it must have been impossible to make a phone call, send an e-mail or even a text throughout the entire summer." She replied sarcastically, followed with a sigh of disappointment.

Vanessa imagined her summer to be slightly different than what it actually was. She wanted the three of them to hang out and enjoy their time off together. But with Shinji away for half of the summer and no contact from Ryusei, she spent most of it training in all aspects of her hobbies like duelling and soccer.

"Look, I must admit it has been frustrating that we haven't seen or heard from him for all this time. But don't let it get to you; I'm sure he has his reasons. Besides, we didn't have a bad summer did we?"

"You're right," she replied with a gentle smile as she put her glass down on the table in front of her. "However, he better have some stories to tell since he was supposed to be all over Japan." She continued.

"Unfortunately I don't have many stories to tell," another male voice said.

An excited Vanessa and Shinji instantly recognised the voice. They quickly turned around and saw Ryusei standing behind them, carrying a holdall bag over his shoulder.

"But then again, that's what you get when you have an uncle like mine."

Both Shinji and Vanessa had wide smiles on the faces and shouted with glee at the same time,

"Ryusei!"

Ryusei gave a little smile back to them as a welcome back gesture.

**Chapter 26-Second Year Return, Tag Team Welcome!**

Ryusei put his bag down as Vanessa and Shinji shot out of the sofa to greet him.

"Welcome back Ryusei!" Shinji greeted.

"Good to be back," Ryusei replied as he shook Shinji's hand firmly.

"Welcome back!" Vanessa followed, as she went and hugged him tightly.

"It's…good to see you too Vanessa."

As soon as they finished their embrace, Vanessa then gave Ryusei the hardest slap to the side of the head she has ever given someone.

"Ow!" He exclaimed whilst rubbing his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What did I do?"

"Don't you mean what you didn't do? What did you say before you left? That you will keep in contact over the summer, that you will make time to hang out!"

"Hold on…"

"But no, nothing happened! No phone calls, no texts, no emails, nothing!" Vanessa then looked away with her arms folded; preparing to dismiss any excuse he was going to throw at her. A brief silence occurred between the three, but then Ryusei gently smiled and said,

"You're right and I'm sorry for that."

A surprised Vanessa then softened her stance, as the last thing she expected was an apology.

Ryusei then took a seat on the sofa with the other two shortly joining him.

"I did mean what I said about keeping contact and wanting to meet up. However, my summer didn't really go as planned."

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked.

"Basically the project that my uncle wanted me on was to roll out a new system across the branches of his company. That kind of work is not that intensive, which would have allowed me more time to do other things. However the system wasn't good enough for what the company wanted, failing certain tests to do with requirements. So, instead of going the same route of using an outside business to modify the system, Hiro took the decision of re-designing the system completely, using an in-house team instead of hiring contractors to do it."

"Am I right in assuming you were part of that team?"

"Kind of, I had a limited role due to lack of experience, but I took an active part and tried to get involved as much as possible. However, because the system needed to be ready by September, time was really of the essence. All of us had to do a lot of long nights to make sure the deadline was met."

"That sounds pretty tough." Vanessa responded.

"Yeah it was, especially with the amount of pressure that was on us to finish the system. Due to that, I was pretty tired more or less every day, but that's still not an excuse for not contacting you and for that I apologise."

"Apology accepted," an understanding Vanessa replied, "But it can't have been all bad, you must have been able to do stuff in your spare time."

"Not really," Ryusei answered as he relaxed on the sofa with his hands on the back of his head. "It wasn't really much of a holiday to be honest. Plus if I did have any spare time, I was mainly duelling with my uncle."

"Duelling?"

"Yeah, I asked my uncle to teach me a little bit more about the game over the summer, which he did in his typical relentless fashion."

"Really?" Shinji asked.

"Yeah, as much as I can't understand his methods, they do actually work."

"If that's the case I say we should test what you have supposedly learnt over the summer." Vanessa said with a cheeky grin.

"Right now? But I just got back."

"I don't care, you're duelling me now whether you like it or not!"

Ryusei deeply sighed, knowing that she will not take no for an answer.

"Fine, give me a little bit of time to sort some stuff out and I'll see you outside."

"Awesome!"

About five minutes later Ryusei headed out of the dorm to see Vanessa ready and waiting for him. He took to his position but before he could say anything, Shinji then came out of the dorm with his Duel Disk on as well.

"Sorry," he said. "But I have to take part in this."

Both players smiled in acknowledgement of his decision.

"So shall we make it a three-way duel?" Vanessa asked.

"How about a tag team?" a male voice said.

Everyone turned to see that the voice actually belonged to Kazuma, who was also sporting a Duel Disk.

"Kazuma!"

"Hey,"

"What brings you here?" Ryusei asked.

"I saw you heading here earlier and I wanted to say hi. But if I'm being honest, I also wanted to challenge you Ryusei."

"Challenge me, why?"

"I have my reasons, but since this little match of yours has already been set up I figure a tag team duel would suffice, only if you'll have me."

"Of course!" Shinji said, "However, you won't be able to face Ryusei in this duel."

"Why not?"

"Because Vanessa is going to be my partner."

Vanessa nodded in agreement to being Shinji's partner. As much as he wanted to face Ryusei as an opponent, the decision to be partners didn't bother him that much.

"That's fair enough. It looks like you're stuck with me Ryusei."

"That's fine by me." he replied as everyone took to their positions.

Vanessa, Shinji and Kazuma inserted the Decks into their new Duel Disks as theirs automatically shuffled the Decks. Ryusei however, shuffled his by hand as he was still using the same Duel Disk that he won on his first night at this university. When he finished shuffling his Deck, he returned it back into the Duel Disk.

"Ok, the rules are that we combine our Life Points and we can use our own individual fields. However no direct attacks can occur unless both players on one team do not have a monster."

"Sounds good to me, are you ready?" Vanessa asked as she drew her five cards.

"More than ever," Ryusei answered as everyone else drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!" Everyone shouted to begin the match.

LP: (Kazuma/Ryusei-8000, Vanessa/Shinji-8000)

"I'll make the first move, I draw!" Vanessa announced. She looked at her hand and liked what she saw.

Vanessa: ("Okay, time to show Ryusei that I'm not the same duellist that he remembers me by.")

"I play the Spell, Valhalla, Hall Of The Fallen! If I control no monsters on the field, this Spell allows to special summon a Fairy from my hand. So I summon Tethys, Goddess Of Light (2400/1800)!"

A majestic silver-haired woman descended onto the playing field. She had widespread angelic wings and wore a breastplate of gold and jewels over her white robed attire.

"Next I summon Bountiful Artemis (1600/1700) in defense mode! I lay two cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn then," Kazuma declared. "I summon Elemental Hero Woodsman (1000/2000) in defense mode!"

A green, muscle-bound monster appeared, with its right arm and leg made out of tree trunks and branches.

"I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" Shinji announced. "I summon Marauding Captain (1200/400), and when he's summoned, I can summon another low level monster from my hand, so I choose Gemini Soldier (500/300)!"

A young green haired male warrior appeared, wearing a dark green fighter's uniform, wielding a short staff.

"A Gemini monster?" Ryusei asked.

Shinji just gave him a smile and continued his move. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

With quite a few new cards already in play, Ryusei already felt this duel is going to be a lot different from what he thought it would be.

"My turn, draw!" Ryusei announced as he drew his card and looked at his hand.

Everyone anticipated something new as everyone else had played fairly new cards.

"I summon Defense Wizard (400/1700) in defense mode and end my turn."

Everyone else felt a little flat as their expectation wasn't fulfilled, but not letting it bother her, Vanessa proceeded with her move to start the next turn.

"My turn and my Tethys' effect activates! When I draw a Fairy monster I can reveal it, and then I'm allowed to draw again." She revealed Airknight Parshath (1900/1400) and drew a second card.

"I summon Harvest Angel Of Wisdom (1800/1000)! Now time to attack, Tethys, attack Kazuma's Woodsman!"

"I reveal my face-down Hero Barrier, which negates your attack if I have a Hero out on the field." Kazuma responded.

"Damn," Vanessa muttered. "Well Harvest will now attack Ryusei's monster!"

Harvest took a deep breath and blew very hard into its horn. The resulting sound waves from the music blown caused Defense Wizard to shatter.

"I end my turn."

"My turn," Kazuma announced. "In my Standby Phase, my Woodsman's effect adds a Polymerization from my Deck to my hand. I now summon Elemental Hero Prisma (1700/1000)! With its effect I reveal my Darkbright, which allows me to send one of the monsters that form Darkbright to the Graveyard. So I send Necroshade (1600/1800) to the Graveyard and in turn my Prisma becomes Necroshade!"

Prisma started radiating a spectrum of colours before finally morphing into a copy of Necroshade.

"I now play Polymerization, fusing my Prisma and my Woodsman to create Elemental Hero Gaia (2200/1800)!"

The vortex swirled the two monsters together. What emerged was a large black and orange mecha-like monster, with over-sized arms capable of shattering the earth below it from a single punch.

"Gaia's effect halves a monster's attack on your side and adds it to itself, so unfortunately for you, your Tethys is about to lose some points!"

Gaia started draining power from Tethys making her feel weaker (Tethys-1200/1500, Gaia-3400/1800).

"Gaia, attack Tethys now!"

"I don't think so, thanks to my Negate Attack! This cancels your attack and ends the Battle Phase." Vanessa announced.

Kazuma had no reaction, allowing Vanessa to continue on,

"Also since a Counter Trap was activated, my Artemis allows me to draw a card."

"I set a card face-down and in my End Phase the original attack points of the two monsters are restored."

"My turn," Shinji announced.

"I play the Spell, Gemini Spark! By releasing my Gemini Soldier I can destroy your Gaia!"

Gemini Soldier formed into an electric current which struck Gaia, shattering it.

"After that, I can draw one card. Next I summon Tuner Monster, Comrade Swordsman Of Landstar (500/1200). I tune my level 3 Comrade with my level 3 Captain to Synchro Summon, Goyo Guardian (2800/2000)!"

"We're about to take a major hit here," Ryusei muttered to himself.

Now Goyo Guardian, attack directly with Goyo Lariat!"

Goyo twirled its lariat and launched it, striking Kazuma in the chest.

LP: (Kazuma/Ryusei-5200, Vanessa/Shinji-8000)

"I end my turn, your go Ryusei."

"Nice work Shinji!" Vanessa congratulated.

"Thanks,"

The commotion from the duel started to attract a crowd of students, intrigued at how it was playing out.

"It seems we've got ourselves an audience now." Kazuma announced.

"Yeah, it seems that way," Ryusei replied. "However, the way this duel is going…"

"I know what you mean."

"What are you thinking?"

"They're styles of play has changed slightly, and it's complementing each other. Vanessa is keeping field presence with her Counter Traps as the main defense, different from what she used to do when she charged in head first."

"Yeah, and Shinji's deck, it's definitely changed but if he still has Equip cards, he will be the main offense."

"Indeed, they have obviously been practicing together, playing to their Deck's own strengths. So, do you any ideas of how to turn this around?"

"We're not going to win by power that's for sure, but I do have an idea."

"You do?"

"Yeah, but it means I'm gonna have to abandon you."

Kazuma chuckled to himself and answered back.

"Fair enough, if you can help me out a little bit; I'm sure I can hold them off for a while."

"Hey! Are you guys gonna talk forever? Make a move already!" Vanessa demanded.

Ryusei obeyed and drew his card.

"I summon Apprentice Magician (400/800) in defense mode! I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"Finally," Vanessa responded impatiently. "My turn, I release my Harvest to summon Airknight Parshath (1900/1400). I now switch my Artemis to attack mode and use it to attack your Apprentice Magician!"

"When Apprentice Magician is destroyed I can set a level 2 or lower Spellcaster from my Deck, so I set another Apprentice Magician (400/800)!"

"My Tethys will now attack!"

"I reveal my Trap, Magic Cylinder! So your attack is negated and you take damage equal to your monster's attack points!"

"Go Counter Trap, Dark Bribe! This negates your Trap and allows you to draw. But due to my Artemis' effect I can also draw a card."

Ryusei drew his card silently, allowing Tethys to spread its now brightly glowing wings. She then flapped them once, sending two powered beams of light, instantly destroying Ryusei's monster.

"Through Apprentice Magician's effect, I set Crystal Seer (100/100) onto the field!"

"Really? That's a strange choice, considering that you know my Parshath deals Battle Damage to defending monsters. So why did you choose one of your weakest monsters?"

Ryusei just stayed silent, with no intention of revealing anything.

"Whatever, Airknight Parshath, Ascension Slash!" the monster jumped up high and on its descent slashed Ryusei's monster in half.

LP: (Kazuma/Ryusei-3400, Vanessa/Shinji-8000)

"Due to my Airknight's effect when I deal battle damage I can draw a card." She drew her card and saw her Field Spell, which made her grin.

"When Crystal Seer is flipped I can pick the top two cards from my Deck. I then add one card to my hand and return one to my Deck."

Ryusei saw the cards Magical Exemplar, and Cybernetic Magician, he instantly knew which card he needed to pick so chose his card and returned the other one.

"I play the Field Spell, The Sanctuary In The Sky!" The field turned into clouds, depicting that all duellists were now high in the sky. Plus a large golden temple was now present behind Vanessa.

"I end my turn with two face-downs."

"My turn, draw!" Kazuma announced, he looked at his card and smiled, with plans to start a counter attack.

"First, in my Standby Phase I reveal my face-down Trap Stun! This negates the effects of all other Trap Cards this turn."

"It does what? But…"

"Next I play Pot Of Greed, drawing two cards from my Deck, followed with Fusion Recovery, returning Polymerization and Woodsman (1000/2000) from the Graveyard to my hand."

"He's moving so fast, he must be planning something big," Shinji said to Vanessa.

Kazuma smiled at the two which made them feel a little nervous, and generated a little unrest within the audience.

"Get ready, because I'm about to bring my A game, so here I come!"

Location: Osaka International Airport

It was late morning, heading towards mid-day on a generally warm day in Osaka. The airport itself was very busy today with many people returning to their home towns and cities after a summer break. In a waiting area, sitting down with a cup of tea and a suitcase standing next to her was Ayaka. She was waiting for the announcement for passengers to be able to board their flight to Domino, which was due sometime soon. Just after she finished drinking her tea, her sister Ayane walked up to her.

"Hey, are you all set?" she asked her.

"Yeah, just waiting for the call, that's all. But you really didn't have to fly me back; I could have easily taken the train."

"Please, it's the least I can do. Besides, the quicker you get back, the quicker you can move back to your dorm. This year is quite important for you so I hope you stay focused and do your best."

Ayaka smiled at her sister, feeling so glad that she has a sister that is so caring unto her as well as others. Soon after, an announcement which rang around the airport was made, declaring that the flight from Osaka to Domino was now ready for passengers to start boarding.

"Looks like that's me," Ayaka said while getting up.

Ayane then went and hugged Ayaka in a way that said goodbye.

"Take care little Aya,"

"And you as well, Ayane,"

Whilst in the embrace, Ayaka caught her eyes on a man walking by, wheeling a suitcase behind him. The man stood tall and was very attractive, wearing a fire red shirt and trousers with brown leather shoes. He possessed light brown eyes and had the light brown wavy hair, tied in a ponytail with a strand running halfway down his face. She started to feel uneasy but then witnesses a surreal moment. A whirlwind of black rose petals started to pursue the man relentlessly. However, as soon as the petals got within touching distance of the man, they burnt away into nothingness. The man then gave a quick frightening glance at Ayaka, causing her to gasp.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ayane asked her.

"What? No I'm fine." An unsure Ayaka replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I thought I saw someone I knew,"

"Okay, if you say so. You better get going anyway."

"Yeah," She quickly hugged her sister again saying, "Bye Ayane, don't be a stranger."

She let go and took her suitcase heading to the point before boarding. As she walked away though, her mind was on the image she saw with the petals, and then the image of that man's eyes.

Ayaka: ("What in the world was that, but more importantly, who was that man?")

Location: Domino East Dorm

Back at the dorm, Kazuma was poised to make his move in continuation of the tag team duel.

"First, since Necroshade is in my Graveyard I can summon a high level Elemental Hero from my hand for one time only, so come forth, Elemental Hero Bladedge (2600/1800)! I now play the Spell Hero's Bond, which lets me special summon two Heroes from my hand. So I summon Elemental Hero Stratos (1800/300) and Elemental Hero Woodsman (1000/2000)!"

"Three monsters…." Vanessa whispered.

"Stratos' effect when summoned allows me to add a Hero from my Deck to my hand."

Kazuma then revealed Elemental Hero Ocean to everyone.

"Next is Polymerization, fusing Elemental Hero Ocean with Elemental Hero Woodsman!"

"To form what?" Shinji asked, desperate to know the outcome of the fusion.

"To form my Elemental Hero Absolute Zero (2500/2500)!"

What was created was a Hero that was dressed in ice-white, ocean blue clothing with a long white cape. As it stood on the field with a commanding presence, particles of air started to freeze around him, indicating the fact that life cannot exist while he is present.

"Zero will attack Goyo Guardian now!"

"But it's weaker than Goyo…" Vanessa responded, following crowd puzzlement. Zero charged forward but before it could attack, Goyo's lariat struck it, defeating the monster.

LP: (Kazuma/Ryusei-3100, Vanessa/Shinji-8000)

"Why did you do that?" Shinji exclaimed.

"Simple, when my Zero is removed from the field in any way, it destroys all monsters that my opponent controls."

"WHAT?" Vanessa and Shinji shouted in disbelief as every monster on their field suddenly became frozen sculptures, which then shattered into thousands of ice cubes.

"Now Bladedge and Stratos will attack you directly!"

"Bladedge charged forward and sliced Shinji across his chest with the blade on his forearm. After that Stratos blew a strong gust of wind from its propellers at Vanessa.

LP: (Kazuma/Ryusei-3100, Vanessa/Shinji-3600)

"I now play Fifth Hope. By returning Zero, Necroshade, Ocean, Prisma, and Woodsman to the Deck, I can shuffle and then draw two cards. I set one card face-down and end my turn."

The audience applauded Kazuma's turn in amazement of such skill and drive, which slightly annoyed Vanessa and Shinji.

"Nicely done Kazuma," Ryusei complimented.

"It wasn't too bad a move was it?"

"Okay, time to strike back! Draw!" Shinji declared.

"I play Graceful Charity so I get to draw three cards and then discard two (Tuned Magician and Axe Of Despair). I next summon Evocator Chevalier (1900/900)!"

A fierce warrior appeared, wearing fire red and orange armour, plus a cloak. It brandished a curved, shiny sword of which the sharpness matched the intent that was held within its eyes.

"Now I play the Equip Spell, Supervise, changing my Chevalier from a Normal to an Effect Monster!"

A whirlwind of flaming feathers surrounded Shinji's monster, showing the quick transformation from Normal to an Effect monster.

"Now my Chevalier's effect activates, by sending an Equip Card I control to the Graveyard I can destroy a card on the field, so say bye to Bladedge!"

The flaming feathers moved towards and eventually surrounded Bladedge, withering it to nothingness.

"Great," Kazuma responded sarcastically.

"There's still more, when Supervise is sent to the Graveyard I can summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard like my Tuned Magician (1800/1000)!"

A green ring appeared on the field, and within it, a female magician revealed herself. Her body was completely wrapped with a green and white swooping robe and a tall yellow hat, whilst wielding a long white sceptre.

"Then by flipping my Super Double Summon, my Tuned Magician gets Normal Summoned again, turning it into an Effect monster!"

"If I was to hazard a guess, I'm guessing its effect allows it to become a Tuner monster." Kazuma stated.

"Precisely, I tune my level 4 Magician with my level 4 Chevalier!"

Tuned Magician burst into four green rings, which descended over Chevalier. Chevalier morphed into four stars which created a pillar of light.

"Synchro Summon, Colossal Fighter (2800/2800)!" An enormous futuristic warrior arose from the earth. Its body was generally a light brown metal, with large blue bolts and a green visor worn over its eyes, collecting data on what it saw on the field.

"That's quite a big monster," Ryusei said to himself, as the crowd grew impressed with the monster's size and power.

"Colossal Fighter gains 100 attack points for every Warrior in either Graveyard, so since there is five between us, its attack rises to 3300! Colossal Fighter, attacks Stratos now!"

Colossal Fighter tightened its fist, and landed a powerful punch on Stratos, creating an explosive impact.

(Kazuma/Ryusei-1600, Vanessa/Shinji-3600)

"I reveal my Hero Signal, when an Elemental Hero is destroyed by battle I can special summon a level four Hero from my Deck. So I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman (1600/1400) in defense mode!"

"Now since another Warrior has been sent to the Graveyard, Colossal Fighter's attack increases by another 100 points (Colossal Fighter-3400/2800)! I end my turn."

"How's that idea of yours coming?" Kazuma asked his partner.

"It's getting there,"

"Well I don't want to put too much pressure on you but we don't really have the luxury of time."

"I'll do what I can. My turn, draw!" Ryusei looked at his card and unfortunately for him, it wasn't the card he needed, but he tried to make a positive move.

Next, I activate Lightning Vortex! By discarding a card (Maiden of Macabre) I can destroy all face-up monsters you control!"

"I chain that with my Magic Jammer! By discarding a card form my hand I can negate and destroy your Spell." Vanessa announced. She discarded her Lightwave Tuning in order to shatter Ryusei's Spell.

"Got any other ideas?" Kazuma asked.

"I summon Copycat (0/0) in defense mode!" a somewhat mischievous magician appeared, wearing a one-piece green/blue suit, underneath a navy blue cloak, hat and yellow gloves. However, it held a mirror, encased in a circular purple frame in front of its face, so that you couldn't identify it.

"When Copycat is summoned it copies the original attack and defense of a monster my opponent controls, like Colossal Fighter (Copycat-2800/2800)! After that, I end my turn."

"All right Shinji, this duel is ours for the taking, so let's go and win this!"

Vanessa smugly announced, with Shinji nodding brightly in agreement with Vanessa. Vanessa then drew her card and made her move.

"I remove from play my Airknight and my Harvest in order to summon Soul Of Purity And Light (2000/1700)! But then I play my face-down Miraculous Descent!"

"Damn it," Kazuma muttered, which made Vanessa smile.

"This Trap lets me special summon a Fairy-Type monster that is currently removed from play. So be reborn, Airknight Parshath (1900/1400)!"

The sky brightened until a glorious white light was present. Afterwards Vanessa's monster slowly descended from the light and gently took its place on the field.

"Airknight Parshath, attack Sparkman with Ascension Slash!" the monster galloped forward before slashing across Sparkman, who cried out before exploding.

"Don't forget that my Parshath inflicts Battle Difference to monsters in defense mode, and when I do, I get to draw a card."

(Kazuma/Ryusei-1100, Vanessa/Shinji-3600)

"I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn!" Kazuma announced. He was uneasy as the card he drew was King Of The Swamp (500/1100).

Kazuma: ("I know what I should do, but it's a risky play as after this turn, it will be all down to Ryusei to get victory. I guess I will see what he's really made of.")

"I summon King Of The Swamp (500/1100) and then play Miracle Fusion! I remove from play my King with my Sparkman to create Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman (2500/2100)!"

The small audience that gathered were largely impressed by Kazuma's monster, at the same time causing some concern to Vanessa and Shinji's faces.

"Shining Flare Wingman gains 300 ATK for every Hero in my Graveyard, and since I have three (Stratos, Bladedge & Gaia), it gains 900 points for a grand total of 3400! Shining Flare Wingman, attack Airknight Parshath with Solar Flare!"

"Two things you've seem to forgotten Kazuma. Since your attacking me, my Soul decreases your Wingman's attack by 300 (3100/2100), and second, I take no battle damage due to my Field Spell."

Wingman still formed a luminous green flame in its palms and fired it at Vanessa's monster, causing a huge explosion.

"That may be true but your forgetting something Vanessa, Shining Flare Wingman's effect allows me to inflict damage to my opponent equal to the attack of the monster it destroyed."

"Actually I didn't forget, which is why I had this waiting incase you were going to pull off something like that."

"What?"

"Activate Counter Trap, Chivalry!"

"No!"

"Chivalry negates a monster's effect which is activated in the Battle Phase and destroys it! Tough luck Kazuma!"

"Damn it!" He exclaimed as his monster exploded, causing him to protect himself. At the same time Colossal Fighter's attack increased to 3500. Kazuma scratched the back of his head and said.

"I end my turn; it's all down to you Ryusei."

"Unfortunately Ryusei won't be able to do anything as we are about to win this turn! I draw!" Shinji drew United We Stand and smiled.

"I summon Future Samurai (1600/1000) to the field!"

A female warrior with tied black hair appeared. She wore a sky blue dress, which split into sashes at the back, over the top of her very light silver armour. Her cold eyes were hidden by her blue visor and she wielded a curved blade, with a blue handle.

"I now equip my Samurai with United We Stand; increasing its ATK and DEF points by 800 for each monster I control (Future Samurai (3200/2600)."

"3200 and 3500 attack points," Ryusei said to himself.

"Future Samurai, attack his Copycat!"

The monster closed her eyes and held her sword in front of her. Soon after, an apparition of herself appeared on Ryusei's field, surprising him. The apparition then drove her sword into Copycat with great force, but nothing happened.

"What the…why wasn't your monster destroyed?"

"Looks like you forgot that Defense Wizard was still in my Graveyard."

"Ah,"

"Yeah, so I just removed it from play to prevent Copycat from being destroyed."

"It doesn't matter, Colossal Fighter (3500/2800), attack his monster!"

A large fist came down and inevitably crushed Copycat completely.

"I end my turn, your move Ryusei."

Before Ryusei started his turn, he smiled and said to them,

"You two have gotten quite strong haven't you?"

Shinji laughed nervously at the compliment.

"It's always good to push your opponent to their limits. However, in doing so means I have no choice but to go on the attack."

"What are _you_ going to do?" Vanessa asked in a demeaning manner. "Besides you have a blank field, and despite how good you are, even you won't be able to get a monster powerful enough to defeat us."

"We shall see," Ryusei coolly said, stunning Vanessa and Shinji.

"My turn, draw!"

He drew Pot Of Greed and looked at his remaining hand. He figured that he could pull something off as long as he draws the right cards, right now.

"I summon Magical Exemplar (1700/1400)! Next I play Pot Of Greed so I can draw two cards from my Deck. Plus since a Spell card was played, my Exemplar gets two Spell Counters on it."

Ryusei drew his cards and smiled as they were exactly what he needed. At the same time, two small black and golden magic circles appeared above Exemplar's head. Within each circle was three points removed, revealing intersecting lines within the circle. These circles are what represent a Spell Counter.

"Next I activate Monster Reborn to special summon a monster from the Graveyard, so I revive Maiden of Macabre (1700/0)!"

Two more Spell Counters then appeared either side of Exemplar.

"Next I play Spell Power Grasp!"

"What's that?" Shinji asked.

"Spell Power Grasp adds a Spell Counter to a card on the field that can receive them, like my Exemplar. After that I can add another copy of the card from my Deck to my hand!"

"But since it's also a Spell his Exemplar will gain two more counters."

As Ryusei took his second copy of the card, Exemplar gained another three Spell Counters for a total of seven.

"Is he going to summon a high level monster?" Vanessa questioned.

Kazuma: ("Ryusei, what are you up to?")

"Exemplar's effect now activates, I remove Counters from this card to summon a Spellcaster from my hand or Graveyard whose level is equal to the Counters removed. Therefore, I remove two to summon from my hand Tuner Monster, Frequency Magician (800/400)!"

"A Synchro Summon?"

"I tune my Level 2 Frequency Magician with my level 4 Maiden of Macabre!"

Ryusei's tuner emitted high frequency waves, transforming it into green rings. It descended onto his Maiden, creating four stars, merging into a pillar of light.

"Synchro Summon! Storm through, Tempest Magician (2200/1800)!" What emerged from the light was a slightly older version of Magical Exemplar. However, she wielded a gold scythe and had numerous bats surrounding her.

"When Tempest Magician is Synchro Summoned it gains a Spell Counter, and its effect allows me to discard cards from my hand to place Spell Counters on cards I control!"

Ryusei discarded two cards (Spell Power Grasp and Spell Book Of Power) to add two more counters to his Exemplar, for a grand total of eight on the field.

"Eight counters on the field, but why?"

"You're about to find out, I use Tempest Magician's other ability!"

Tempest Magician held her scythe over her head and twirled it at a fast speed. Suddenly a tornado started to take shape, with her within the eye of the tornado.

"What's going on?" Vanessa demanded, but she was then shocked to see all the Spell Counters were now being dragged into the tornado, with the surrounding bats.

"Tempest Magician allows me to remove all Spell Counters on the field, and in turn I can inflict 500 points of damage to my opponent for each Counter."

"With eight Counters on the field that's…"

"4000?" Shinji shouted in disbelief.

"Tempest Magician! Magician's Storm!"

Tempest Magician slammed her scythe to the ground which sent the tornado hurtling towards her opponents. Vanessa and Shinji held their arms up to protect themselves from the intense winds that slammed into them, depleting their Life Points in the process.

(Kazuma/Ryusei-1100, Vanessa/Shinji-0)

The crowd applauded the wonderful duel that has now come to an end. All players switched off their Duel Disks, making the holograms vanish and walked up to congratulate each other.

"That was a hell of a duel!" Vanessa said.

"Yeah it was, we did ride our luck for quite a bit though," Ryusei replied.

"We sure did," Kazuma added. "To be honest, I thought you weren't gonna pull it off,"

"You should have more faith, but all of you have definitely become a lot stronger."

Everyone then smiled in appreciation of Ryusei's statement.

"Anyway Kazuma, since you're already here, do you want to come in and hang out for a bit?"

"Yeah sure, I will be with you in a second."

As Ryusei and the others headed inside, Kazuma was thinking about Ryusei's performance.

Kazuma: ("Ryusei, even though you didn't reveal that much, you have definitely become stronger. I think that _he _will be pleased to meet someone like you.")

Location: Domino International Airport

It was late afternoon with people rushing in and out of the airport, catching or returning from their respective flights. At the front entrance of the main terminal was a man. He stood quite tall, slightly taller than Kazuma. He had a muscular build with brown eyes and large brown spike hair, with the back reaching his shoulder blades. His clothing was a red T-shirt, which was underneath a long grey jacket where the sleeves were folded up to his elbows. Grey trousers, black shoes and a pair of sunglasses were present to complete the outfit. He walked out the sliding doors holding a suitcase and a holdall bag. With a big smile on his face he shouted,

"Man, after one whole year, I've finally come back home!"

End of Chapter

Preview: With the next year of study beginning, familiar faces return while new ones emerge, trying to make an impact by challenging their respective Duel Leaders. Meanwhile, an unaware Tanya encounters a mysterious person, warning her of the imminent battle ahead.  
Chapter 27-Duel Rush

ORIGINAL CARDS

Defense Wizard  
DARK/Spellcaster/3/400/1700  
During damage calculation, you can remove from play this card from your Graveyard to prevent a Spellcaster-Type monster you control from being destroyed by this battle. Damage is still applied.


	28. Chapter 27 Duel Rush!

I apologise for the huge delay, project work is really taking its toll atm. Anyway here is the next chapter. If i can do one or two more I may consider doing another New Year Special as I did last year. So feel free to throw in suggestions on who would like to see duel in it, incase I decide to do one. So, without further ado, enjoy the new chapter!

Location: Domino Town

It was a mild late evening, with a crescent moon and bright stars illuminating the city of Domino below. The city centre of Domino was moderately busy as people were enjoying their respective nights out. One of those people seemingly returning from a night out was Tanya. She was walking in a familiar direction, heading towards her home, not too far outside the city centre. Whilst continuing on her journey down the well lit streets, she sensed something wasn't quite right. However, she didn't look back or change her walking pace. She just carried on like she wasn't aware that anything was different. Eventually she noticed an alleyway in between two shops to her left and casually turned into it. As she walked about halfway down this dark alleyway she stopped and said out loud.

"I know that I'm very attractive, but that doesn't give you the right to follow me."

Tanya then turned around, only to find it was a woman that was following her. However, this woman was standing too far away to make out any features, and just enough inside the alleyway so that she dodged the streetlights.

"You're definitely not what I expected which begs the question, why are _you_, following _me_?"

The woman however stayed silent, as she felt that the question was of little importance.

"No response?" Tanya asked.

"You're too involved Tanya." The woman replied in a calm but assertive voice.

Tanya's mood instantly switched to a more serious notion in surprise to the woman's statement.

"How do you know my name?"

The woman didn't answer her, which irked Tanya. She then put her hand in her right pocket and pulled something out. Tanya prepared herself for the worst case scenario that the object was a weapon. The woman then threw the object towards her. As it flew closer to Tanya, she then realised it was actually a cell phone. With quick reflexes she caught it and looked at it.

"Thanks, but I've already got one. Plus the features on this phone are nowhere near as good as mine."

"There is a number on that phone, dial it tomorrow night, at 7pm sharp. If you do, I will tell you your fate."

"Really?" A disbelieving Tanya replied.

The woman turned and walked away but then said to Tanya as a parting message.

"It would be in your best interest to call, especially since it won't be long before the Guardian Dragons re-surface to fight."

"What?" A shocked Tanya shouted out, however the woman already left the alleyway and onto the main street.

Tanya rushed out to follow her but as she got to the street, she couldn't find anyone that had a similar shape to that woman. She looked at the mobile, thinking about what that woman said, and more importantly, how does she know about the Guardian Dragons.

**Chapter 27-Duel Rush!**

Location: Domino University

It was the next morning, with a mild but cloudy day greeting the University. At this time, all of the students had now returned to the University for their next year or first year of study. Just entering the vicinity of the University was a silver motorcycle with a rider and a passenger on it, both of them wearing black helmets. As the motorcycle slowly went inside and parked just in front of the main building, both people then took their helmets off. The rider was Yuji, while the passenger was an attractive girl. The girl was 5' 8", but her slim body made her look a little taller. She had the same bright blue eyes and black hair as Yuji, but her hair reached slightly beyond her shoulder blade and was plaited, with a small silk red ribbon tying it. She wore a white T-Shirt with the word "Superstar" written in ice blue kanji (スーパースター) across her chest. To complete the outfit, she wore very pale blue jeans and short heeled black shoes. She got off the motorcycle and looked up at the Main Building, with a smile on her face the girl said,

"So, this is…"

"Will you hurry up already?" Yuji interrupted.

The girl turned in an angry fashion towards Yuji in response.

"What is your problem?"

"My problem is that you're wasting my time here. Go and find out where your dorm is."

"It's my first day! Why do I have to be in such a rush to do everything?"

"Because the sooner you find out, the sooner I can get out of here."

"Wait a minute, I thought when I get my room you're going to take me back home to get my stuff."

"Yeah right, I'm not some taxi you can just call on a whim."

"You told me that when I start here 'if I ever need anything, I should just let you know!'"

"Yeah, well I didn't mean it for every single thing, did I?"

"Please, Yuji. You're not the kind of guy to leave a sibling behind at their time of need, are you?"

"Forget it,"

Yuji ignored her for a while until the girl hugged him from behind.

"Please, Yuji." She begged.

"Fine! I'll do it, just hurry up."

"Thank you!" she happily replied as she handed the helmet to him, before heading towards the building.

As the girl started to walk towards the entrance of the main building, a male voice called out Yuji's name. Yuji turned his head to his left to see it was Ryusei who called him. As Ryusei approached him, the girl turned around as well, curious to see who was going to talk to her brother. Unexpectedly though, when her eyes caught on Ryusei, she was instantly attracted to him.

"Well if it isn't Ryusei," Yuji said as he shook his hand. "How are things with you?"

"Good," he responded. "Just been a busy summer but glad to be back. How about yourself, are things all right with you?"

"Yeah, life wasn't too bad during the summer. I'm just running a few errands before I actually settle down back here. I take it your off somewhere?"

"Yeah, heading to my Dorm to see Kazuma, he said to meet him there, but..."

Ryusei then paused, as his thought process started going over possible explanations for his small problem.

"But what?" Yuji asked.

"Well, a couple of days ago Kazuma wanted to duel me. I asked him why and he said it was for his own reasons. I'm probably reading too much into it, but I can't shake the feeling that there's more to it."

After thinking about it for a few seconds, Yuji suddenly understood Kazuma's actions. But before he could say anything, the girl quickly rushed back to Yuji so that she could talk to Ryusei.

"Hi," she said to him in a very soft and polite manner.

"Hey," A startled Ryusei replied, as the girl just seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Have you found out where you're staying yet?" Yuji asked the girl.

"Not exactly," she replied.

"Do you two know each other?" Ryusei asked Yuji, pointing to the girl.

"I'm…"

"Nobody," Yuji interrupted, whilst putting her hand up to cover her mouth.

The girl's blood started to boil for being rudely interrupted and desperately tried to take Yuji's palm off her mouth.

"Anyway, it's been great talking to you but you shouldn't really keep Kazuma waiting, say hi to him for me."

"Will do, see you around." Ryusei replied and waved to the girl as he headed off.

As soon as he was a fair distance away, the girl finally got Yuji's hand off her face.

"What the hell did you do that for?"

"Because, boys should be the last thing on your mind!"

"I was just being polite!"

"Sure you were, now will you please go and get your dorm room sorted…now?" Yuji demanded, whilst pointing to the Main Building.

The girl's temper was rising as she growled at Yuji, but then seeing a familiar face approaching the two of them calmed her down.

"Yuji," a male voice shouted out, which turned out to be Kai.

"Hey," he replied.

"Hi, Kai." The girl replied.

"I take it you remember my sister Azami."

"Of course, how are you?"

"I'm fine thanks, just having to sort out a few things and then I'll be ready to enjoy the uni life." Azami answered.

"That's great; I hope you do enjoy it. Now I don't mean to interrupt but Yuji, you have to come down to our dorm."

"Why, what's up?"

"Some freshman kid is calling you out."

Yuji gave a tiresome sigh as if he has experienced this routinely.

"I've only been here five minutes, but I guess it wouldn't be Duel Rush if someone didn't challenge me."

"Duel Rush?" Azami asked.

"I'll explain it to you later," Kai replied. "But if you want Yuji, I'll take care of it."

"Is this guy any good?"

"He seems so; he beat a few decent duellists in our dorm so he shouldn't be underestimated."

"All right, I'll take care of it." Yuji decided. "Azami, go and sort out where you're staying. After that, give me a call and then I'll pick you up from there, I shouldn't be too long."

"Okay, and by the way, I'm so going to get into your dorm."

"You better not!"

As Azami laughed whilst heading into the building, Yuji went into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He then opened it and gave some money to Kai.

"What's this for?"

"Remember that bet at the beginning of the summer that I would regret suggesting my sister should come to this University?"

"Yeah?"

"Well let's just say the feeling I currently have isn't joy."

Location: Domino East Dorm

A few moments later, a perplexed Ryusei was close to reaching his Dorm. On his journey towards the place he has seen countless Duels being fought all around the University. On the approach to the Dorm, he then noticed that a duel was going on in front of the building. As he walked a bit quicker to find out what was going on, he saw that it was Kazuma duelling.

"Go Elemental Hero Bladedge (2600/2100)! Attack him directly!" Kazuma commanded, as his monster stormed forward and sliced across the chest of his opponent, reducing their Life Points to zero.

"Anyone else?" He asked to everyone watching, but all the students just looked at each other and decided against challenging him.

Kazuma gave a gentle smile as he deactivated his Duel Disk, just as Ryusei approached him.

"Hey,"

"Ryusei, perfect timing. Come inside, I want to have a talk with you."

"What about?"

"You'll see,"

The two headed inside and sat down on one of the sofas in the main room.

"So Ryusei,"

"Before you start, can I ask you something?"

"Sure,"

"What is going on here?"

"How do you mean?"

"When I was walking here I saw a lot of duels being fought, and then you duelling just now, let alone you wanting to challenge me a few days ago."

"You don't know?"

Ryusei shook his head gently to answer Kazuma's question.

"It's Duel Rush this week."

"Duel Rush?"

"It's kind of a new tradition that started a few years ago, but the concept has been ongoing for longer."

"Okay, but what is it?"

"Basically every year, in the first week of university, the Duel Leaders has to face at least one person in a single duel for the Duel Leader crown. It came about after numerous years of new and returning students, learning that their Leaders are back. They then decide to challenge them for their title as soon as they arrive as supposedly, it's the time of the year where they have the least focus as the summer has just ended."

"I understand that, so is that what you were doing earlier?"

"Kind of, it is the responsibility of a Duel Leader to accept all challenges or delegate someone to accept as a test. The delegation is so that the challenger can prove their worth before actually taking on the leader. However, a Duel Leader also has the right to challenge one person of their choice within their dorm, which brings me to my next point."

"Why you wanted to duel me before, were you going to challenge me for the right to become Duel Leader?"

Kazuma chuckled to himself and answered,

"A good guess but no. the main reason I wanted to challenge you is to see if you've become stronger. A challenge will be coming your way and I needed to know whether you would be ready for it."

"What kind of challenge are you talking about?"

"A challenge for the right to earn the Duel Leader crown,"

"Hold on, you just said that you weren't going to challenge me for it."

"That is true, but you seem to be forgetting something Ryusei, technically I'm not the Duel Leader of this Dorm."

"What? But…"

Ryusei stopped speaking as he remembered something he was told a long time ago, back in his first few weeks at University.

_**FLASHBACK-1 year ago**_

_**VANESSA-"Truth is we don't have a Duel Leader, well, we have an unofficial Duel Leader."**_

RYUSEI-"An unofficial Duel Leader?"

VANESSA-"He was best friends with the previous Duel Leader. They used to duel all the time but never officially for the title. However, they were more or less evenly matched until he went to study abroad for a year. Since then, no-one challenged Kazuma and it was accepted for him to be Duel Leader."

"So the real Duel Leader, he's back now isn't he?" Ryusei asked.

"Yeah, I haven't seen him on campus yet but it will only be a matter of time. However, when I do see him, the first thing he's going to ask me is whether there is anyone in this Dorm that I think can take him on."

"I'm guessing you want to put my name forward."

"Well I'm not going to lie, next to me you are the best duellist in this dorm, and he already knows my style as we have history. So I'm just here giving you a heads up before you get a surprise visit, because as soon as I say your name, I will guarantee that he will come for you."

Ryusei paused for a little while, taking this information in.

"Is he strong?" Ryusei asked.

"Very,"

"Do I stand a chance?"

"I wouldn't have told you if I didn't think you did. Our Leader is only interested in fighting the best and you're currently it."

"I understand."

"Don't worry about it too much though. When the time comes I'm sure you won't disappoint. Anyway I've got some things to do so I will talk to you later."

Kazuma got up from the sofa and headed out for the door before Ryusei called him back.

"Kazuma,"

"Yeah?"

"Our Duel Leader, what is he like?"

"He's…not what you would expect, but trust me when I say you'll know who it is once you see him."

Kazuma then headed out of the dorm, leaving Ryusei to his thoughts.

Location: Domino Central Dorm

Just outside the Dorm a number of students had gathered, watching a duel ongoing between two guys. One student had short brown hair with a spiked fringe and brown eyes. He was short with a height of 5' 5" and was wearing a red T-shirt, black jeans and black trainers, the student ID clipped onto his trousers said "Yusuke Nishimura-Domino Central". On his side of the field were Mad Archfiend (1800/0) and a face-down card, with 1000 Life Points left. Facing him was a taller and larger man, with black hair and green eyes. He wore a black and green striped t-shirt, dark navy trousers and black shoes. The student ID worn round his neck, clipped onto a chain said "Dai Sato-Domino Central". At the moment his side of the field was blank and he only had 900 Life Points left. It was the Dai's turn and he drew his card to make his move.

"I summon Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode!" A muscle-bound beast appeared, wearing black and green attire, a spiked helmet, whilst wielding a large axe.

"Next I play Symbols Of Duty! By sending my Vorse Raider to the Graveyard I can revive a monster, so I revive my Tri-Horned Dragon (2850/2350)!" A large vicious blue dragon with sharp red eyes landed onto the field. It also had three horns sprouting from his head, with further spikes down its back.

"This duel is mine! Tri-Horned Dragon, attack his monster now!"

"So sorry to spoil your victory, but I reveal my Trap, Hate Buster!" Yusuke replied.

"No!"

"Yes, so with this I can destroy both our monsters and in return, you take damage equal to the attack of your monster."

Both monsters suddenly exploded with the smoke cloud rushing past the larger man, representing the damage taken.

LP (Yusuke-1000/Dai-0)

Yusuke smiled as he turned off his Duel Disk, enjoying his victory.

"Is that all there is to this Dorm, a bunch of weak duellists? If that's the standard then I'm not surprised your so called Leader is refusing to face me!"

The surrounding students started to get restless and hostile towards Yusuke but he didn't care.

"You can get as angry as you want, but it doesn't change the fact that your Duel Leader is a coward!"

"That's not a particularly nice thing to say now is it?" A male voice responded.

Yusuke turned to face ahead of him to see Yuji and Kai.

"You're not gonna get any respect if you keep running your mouth like that." Yuji continued.

"So you've finally shown, Yuji Nakata!" Yusuke replied with a big smile on his face.

"Huh?"

Yusuke took out his Deck, gave it a quick shuffle and re-inserted it back into his Duel Disk.

"Are you challenging me?" Yuji asked.

"Your damn right I am! I've been waiting quite a while for this Dorm's Duel Leader to show up and now you're finally here! So Yuji, I challenge you for your Duel Leader title, so let's go now!" Yusuke activated his Disk, in preparation for the match.

There was a brief silence in the air from everyone waiting to hear Yuji's response, which he finally made by saying,

"To be honest, I don't really feel like it."

"What?"

"What are you doing?" Kai whispered to him, but Yuji just ignored him.

"What do you mean you don't feel like it?"

"I have no reason to duel you, plus even if I wanted to, I'd have to go inside and grab a Disk, then have something to eat, then do my pre-duel ritual and some other stuff. It generally takes too long so I would rather not at the moment."

"You must be joking!"

Yuji shrugged his shoulders and replied,

"You can't help what you feel."

"Are you really that much of a coward that you would refuse to duel me?"

"No, but if you can give me a good reason I might consider it."

"Simple, it's because I'm better than you."

"Is that it? A reason to face you is because you think you're better than me?"

"Not think; I _know _I'm better than you and deep down you sense it too, hence why you're refusing to duel me. You're scared of losing in front of all your peers as they look in shame, seeing their great leader get utterly destroyed by a first year."

"You have a lot of guts to come out with that kid," Kai intervened in a harsh manner, but Yuji calmed him down.

Yuji then looked at Dai as a signal to borrow his Duel Disk. Dai took it off instantly and gave it to him. Yuji fastened it on, took his Deck out of his pouch and inserted into the Duel Disk.

"Looks like you're accepting." Yusuke replied as Yuji's Deck was being auto-shuffled by the Duel Disk.

"I'm intrigued by your comments, and who knows, maybe you're right. Maybe you are a better duellist than me, which would mean you would deserve to be Duel Leader of this Dorm. However, it never pays to be cocky so I hope you have the skills to back up what you say."

"Don't worry about that, you just worry about which turn you're going to lose in."

Yuji just gave a little smile at the comment.

"I don't believe you've told me your name?"

"Yusuke,"

"Yusuke what?"

"I will tell you if you beat me."

Yuji just smiled and drew his five cards. Yusuke followed by drawing his five cards, which in turn led to the pair shouting,

"DUEL!"

LP (Yusuke-4000/Yuji-4000)

"So, do you want to go first?" Yuji asked.

"No you go, I insist."

"Fair enough, I draw, and summon Masked Dragon (1400/1100) in defense mode. I end my turn after that."

"Is that all? I expected more from a person of your status. I play Graceful Charity, I draw three cards and then discard two (Summoned Skull, Mad Archfiend). Next, I activate Premature Burial! By paying 800 Life Points, I can revive my Summoned Skull (2500/1200)!" A fiendish monster rose from the ground, with a skeleton body over its purple skin. It boasted evil green eyes as well as a horn pointing out from each side of its head.

LP (Yusuke-3200/Yuji-4000)

"But there's more, I now release my Summoned Skull so I can summon Great Maju Garzett (0/0)!" A large imposing monster was summoned to the field with blue thick skin, underneath dark pink skeleton armour. As it descended onto the field, its hate-filled eyes were one with Yuji's.

"Zero points." Yuji whispered to himself.

"Garzett's effect now activates, when this card is summoned by releasing a monster its attack becomes double the attack of the released monster. So since Summoned Skull's attack was 2500…"

"Garzett is now at 5000." Yuji stated as the monster's attack rose.

"I next equip my monster with Fairy Meteor Crush! Which means you're about to take some serious damage."

Yuji didn't react to Yusuke's play which slightly annoyed him.

"Great Maju Garzett (5000/0)! Annihilate his monster!"

The monster took a deep breath and roared out thick black smoke which devoured Masked Dragon and blasted Yuji.

LP (3200/100)

The students watching were shell-shocked by the fact that Yuji nearly lost all of his Life Points on the second turn. However a calm Yuji made his move.

"Due to Masked Dragon's effect, I can summon a dragon with 1500 attack or less from my Deck, so come out Red-Eyes Black Chick (800/500)!" A dark red egg came onto the field, which then partly hatched, revealing the head of a baby black dragon.

Yusuke then looked at his hand (Trap Hole, Hate Buster and Dust Tornado) and smiled.

"I set three face-down cards and end my turn. It's your move, but I really don't see the point."

"Why not?"

"Because I more or less have you locked down! There is no way you can summon a monster that can overpower my Garzett! Plus any monster you play in defense will be crushed."

Yusuke: ("and with my three Trap cards on the field, I'm protected on all sides.")

"Hmm, so because you are in a strong position now, you think everything is done and dusted?"

"Looking at your current situation, I'd be willing to say this duel is over."

Yuji shook his head in disappointment,

"That's a real shame; I thought you had a little more going for you until you said that."

"What?"

"No one cares on who was leading the race at the beginning and throughout, but who crossed the finish line first."

"Whatever, your just saying that because you're about to lose!" Yusuke proclaimed.

"Fine, firstly I'll accept your challenge. Then I'll prove to you that a duel is never over, no matter how dire a situation gets."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see in a moment, my turn! I use my Chick's effect to send itself to the Graveyard. I can then Special Summon a Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) from my hand! But I will now release my dragon to special summon Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon (2400/2000)! My Darkness Dragon gains 300 ATK for every Dragon in my Graveyard, since there are three; its attack rises to 3300."

"It's still nowhere near strong enough."

"I activate Dragon Heart! By giving up my normal summon I can send three Dragons from my Deck to the Graveyard (Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Red-Eyes Wyvern and Meteor Dragon) and then my Darkness Dragon gains 1000 attack points! But since three more dragons have gone to the Graveyard my Darkness gains another 900 points making it a grand total of…"

Yuji's dragon roared loudly as its attack points climbed obscenely high (Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon-5200/2000).

"5,200!" Yusuke exclaimed, taken aback by Yuji's play. He started to feel nervous and pressurised as the students started cheering for Yuji.

"So it looks like I have a monster now stronger than your Garzett, something you said I couldn't do right?"

A drop of sweat slid down the side of Yusuke's face, nervous about what was about to happen next. However, he composed himself and shouted adamantly.

"It doesn't matter, I'm ready for you!"

"Good," Yuji replied. "A good duellist should be ready for anything, so are you ready?"

"Bring it!"

"I play A Wingbeat Of Giant Dragon!"

"What the hell?"

The audience were stunned by the move as well, thinking Yuji wasted all that time, powering up his monster, just to return it back to himself. Kai however just smiled as he knew what Yuji was doing.

"By returning a level 5 or higher Dragon from my field to the hand, I can destroy all Spells and Traps on the field!"

"No!" Yusuke shouted as Darkness Dragon flapped its wings generating powerful winds.

The strong winds eventually shattered all of Yusuke's face down cards.

"I then activate Smashing Ground, which destroys your Garzett!"

A large orange fist came from the sky and crushed Yusuke's monster, shattering it into many pieces.

"Finally I play my Dragon's Mirror!"

"What's that?"

"By removing from play Fusion Material monsters, I can summon a Dragon-Type Fusion monster, so I remove my Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Meteor Dragon to summon Meteor Black Dragon (3500/3000)!" A mirror appeared on the field, presenting the process of the fusion between the two monsters. Eventually what emerged out of the mirror was a huge, purple and orange dragon. It let out an earth shattering roar as its skin started to crack, revealing a similar appearance to an meteor.

"This can't be…" Yusuke whispered.

"As I said, a race is not won at the beginning. You should really have remained focused until the opponent is beaten; it's just a shame you had to learn that the hard way. Meteor Black Dragon, Dark Burning Meteor!" The monster blasted a giant red fireball from its mouth, landing right in front of Yusuke.

LP (Yusuke-0/Yuji-100)

Yusuke went down on one knee in the aftermath of the duel, accepting his loss. Yuji switched off his Duel Disk and gave it back to Dai after removing his Deck. Yuji then casually walked over and stood in front of Yusuke.

"You're not too bad, kid." Yuji said to him, causing Yusuke to raise his head.

"A little misguided and rough round the edges but there's something about you."

"Why did you do all that?"

"Do what?"

"You went through all that trouble to power up your monster when you didn't need to do that at all. You could have easily destroyed my monster and won without doing any of the stuff you did so why?"

"I don't know, because I felt like it?"

"Huh?"

"Well, it was more the sense of what you said. You said I couldn't beat you Garzett, so I decided I would, but I also wanted to show that ultimate power is not always required to win a duel. I guess I was just showing the difference between our two styles, that's all."

Yusuke then bowed his head, more for being embarrassed for his crass behaviour earlier.

"Plus to be honest, I was terrified of your face-downs." Yuji added, which made Yusuke chuckle.

Yuji then outstretched his hand, offering to help Yusuke up, which he gladly accepted.

"Welcome to Domino Central, Yusuke…?"

"Yusuke Nishimura," he replied as he shook Yuji's hand.

"Are you finished now?" Azami shouted from a distance.

Yuji turned around to see her walking towards him.

"What are you doing here? I told you to call me when you're done."

"Well it was done pretty fast so I thought I should check out my new dorm."

"What? Don't tell me that…"

"Calm down, unfortunately I didn't get Domino Central."

"Yes!" Yuji shouted as he punched the air in celebration, annoying Azami a great deal.

"I swear I'm going to make your life a living hell."

"I'm just kidding. Come on, let's go home and get your stuff."

The two of them walked to Yuji's motorcycle as he waved to the students.

"So where are you staying?" Yuji asked.

"Domino West,"

"Oh, Ayaka's dorm,"

"Ayaka?"

"She's the Duel Leader of that dorm. You should get to know her as she's a really nice girl."

"If you say so," Azami responded as she got on the bike and was about to put her helmet on.

"Hey Azami,"

"What?"

"Despite my behaviour earlier on, I am glad that you're here."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm really proud of you for following your ambitions."

"Thank you, Yuji." Azami's face then expressed a certain sadness which Yuji sensed.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just…I wish Ryu could have been here as well."

"I know, but he would've been proud of you nonetheless."

Azami paused for a moment and then replied softly,

"I know…thank you Yuji." She put on her helmet as Yuji started the engine of his motorcycle. As Azami held her brother, he rode off heading towards the University exit.

Location: Domino Town Centre

It was now evening time in the same day. The sun had just finished setting, generating a clear night's sky to spread over Domino. Tanya was walking slowly down the well lit, but unusually quiet city centre. She lifted her left arm up to check her watch which said "6:59PM". She then put her hand in her pocket and pulled out the phone that was given to her by the mysterious woman she met earlier. In a short time, she reached a railing, overlooking the horizon. She went towards it and relaxed her back against, looking at her watch again. This time, the watch displayed "7:00PM". At that moment Tanya flipped open the phone, searched for the contact list and dialled the only number that was saved on the phone. The phone only rang once before a female voice answered the call.

"Good to know that you listen to instructions." The voice said.

"I only listen to people that interest me, and what you said before you left grabbed my attention." Tanya replied.

"Fine, I'll get to the point. The war is coming."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"It is my belief that you know who the Guardians are."

Tanya paused before responding to the statement. She found it peculiar as to how did she know this information.

"Why do you think that?"

"Is it really that important for you to know that?""

"Maybe, maybe not, but if that's what you believe, why are you contacting me?"

"I want you to send a message to the Guardians. Tell them that the war is coming, a lot sooner than they think, and if they want to survive, they will have to fight with everything they have, they _cannot_ hold back."

"You seem to know a lot about this, almost too much to be an outside player."

"Maybe, maybe not, but you Tanya, and others like you are going to be dragged into this war unwillingly."

"What do you mean others like me?"

"I think you know what I'm talking about."

Tanya realised the woman knew something personal about herself, which raised more questions for her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm someone who would rather see a battle with as little casualties as possible. So I will tell you this, if you value our life then stay out of this battle."

Before Tanya could even reply the call was disconnected. Tanya tried to ring back but she was then told that the number she dialled was incorrect. As she closed the phone, she looked up into the sky and sensed a turn in the direction of the wind. It signalled to her that something has changed and that she should take heed in what the woman was saying.

End Of Chapter

Preview: With the words of the mysterious woman still ringing in her ears, Tanya speaks to Vydia about what happened, and also for her to shed some light on her statements. Meanwhile the Duel Leader of Domino East, Masaiki Nanbu returns to the dorm. After hearing the exploits of Ryusei from Kazuma, he immediately goes to Ryusei and challenges him to a duel. Ryusei agrees and the two face off in a single duel for the right to be Leader of Domino East.

Chapter 28-Duel Rush Battle, A Leader's Resolve!

ANIME CARDS

Dragon Heart  
Normal Spell  
Send 3 Dragon-Type monsters from your Deck to the Graveyard and select 1 Dragon-Type monster you control. It gains 1000 ATK, until the End Phase. You cannot Normal Summon or Set this turn.


	29. Chapter 28 Duel Rush Battle

Location: Domino Town

It was late morning on the next day, in a suburb of Domino City. The sky was overcast, making for a slightly cooler feel in comparison to yesterday. The suburb, where students with private accommodation usually live in, was tranquil for the moment. However in a very short time, a taxi appeared from the distance. It was cruising through the suburbia until it eventually stopped at his client's destination. Both the taxi driver and his client got out of the car and went to the car boot. The client took out his suitcase and his holdall bag before eventually paying the driver his fare. The driver went back to his car and drove off, revealing the client to be the same man who came from Domino International Airport a few days ago. The man carried his bag over his shoulder and wheeled his suitcase behind him as he walked up to a certain property. He eventually reached a house, numbered '112' and knocked on the door. The door was opened by Kazuma who looked at the man blankly. The man lifted his sunglasses onto his head and smiled at him, before Kazuma said to him,

"Sorry man, but I'm not buying what you're selling."

Before the man could even say a word, the door was slammed shut. The man growled quietly and this time, he banged on the door with his fist. A chuckling Kazuma opened the door and said,

"I'm sorry man but I couldn't resist."

"Obviously not, I should have known that you would pull some crappy stunt on me," the man replied in an annoyed fashion.

"Come on man, you would have done exactly the same thing to me."

"True," the man replied with a grin on his face.

Kazuma then shook the man's hand and hugged him.

"Good to see you Masaki."

"Yeah, it's good to be back."

Masaki picked up his luggage and entered the property. As Kazuma closed the door, Masaki left his luggage by the door and immediately collapsed onto the nearest sofa.

"So, how was America?" Kazuma asked as he sat down on a nearby armchair.

"America was amazing man, I learnt so much while I was out there."

"I can imagine, I bet you have some stories to tell,"

"All in good time my friend, all in good time. But more importantly, how are things with you?"

"Things are great, just looking forward to my final year."

"All right, anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"A couple of things happened but nothing major to be honest. However, there is something you should know."

"What?"

"It's Duel Rush this week."

Masaki put his hand on his face in realisation of what this meant for him.

"Oh…crap you're right," Masaki sighed. "So you get be my opponent again right?"

"Actually this time, there is someone else."

"What?" Masaki exclaimed as he raised himself up to a sitting position, "Who?"

Kazuma then gave a smile and answered Masaki's question by saying the name,

"Ryusei Fujiwara."

**Chapter 28-Duel Rush Battle, A Leader's Resolve!**

Location: The Atrium

It was now early afternoon on the same day. Vydia was inside the 'G-5' conference room, slowly walking around whilst talking to someone on her cell phone. She seemed to be in a calm mood, despite the serious tone of her voice at this time.

"I see, are you sure about this…I understand."

At that moment, Tanya knocked on the door and opened it, popping her head through the gap created. Vydia signalled for her to come in whilst winding up her conversation.

"I have to go for now but I will call you later…bye."

"Who was that?" Tanya asked as Vydia hanged up.

"Just a client, but I didn't expect to see you today."

"Well it wasn't my plan to come here, but I needed to see you."

Vydia then offered Tanya a seat at the meeting table, before joining her.

"What's on your mind?"

"Something happened last night which was really weird."

"What happened?"

"A woman was following me last night. After a while I managed to confront her, but she just gave me this cell phone instead, telling me to call her."

"Did you call her?"

"Yeah, she wouldn't tell me her name or anything like that. However, she knew about the Guardian Dragons, and that I knew who the actual Guardians were."

Vydia then folded her arms and presented a serious posture.

"Do you know how she knew?"

"No, when I tried to get her to tell me she just dodged the question."

"What else did she say?"

"That the war is coming, sooner than we think as well. But also…she knew about _me._"

"What do you mean?"

"She indicated that she knew that I'm…kind of different, and that people like me would be dragged into this war if we're not careful."

Vydia then leaned forward with her hands clasped together, a typical posture she does whenever something is really bothering her.

"Do you know what the woman looks like?"

"Unfortunately I don't, it was too dark for me to get a decent look. But going on from what she said, I think she knows too much to be an outside player…what do you think we should do?"

"I think for now you should just stick to your normal routine. Chances are that you're being watched, hence why that woman knew certain things. Hopefully we will figure out what is going on before things start to get hectic around here."

"Okay then, I'll also let you know if that woman speaks to me again."

Vydia nodded as Tanya got up from her seat and headed out of the room. She put her hand on the door handle before she stopped and said,

"Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Do you know by any chance what that woman meant, about people like me being dragged into this battle?"

Vydia thought about this question for a little while before replying, "I'm sorry but I don't."

"That's what I thought, thanks anyway."

Tanya opened the door and headed out of the room. As soon as she left, Vydia took out her phone from her pocket and phoned someone. The phone call connected and Vydia started conversing with someone.

"It's me…we may have a problem."

Location: Domino East Dorm

At the Dorm, inside room 42 were Vanessa, Shinji and Ryusei. All of them were studying their own subjects after their respective lectures had ended for the day. After a few minutes of silence, Ryusei put his pen down after having a thought.

"Shinji?" he called.

"What is it?"

"This is going to seem a bit random, but what made you change your Deck?"

Shinji smiled in response to the question and answered,

"Well, it was actually Vanessa that gave me the idea."

"Oh please, I did nothing of the sort," she stated.

"I wanted to change my deck around as I felt it needed something more. Vanessa handed me an unwanted card she got and that inspired my changes."

Shinji went to his deck pouch and pulled out Supervise and showed it to Ryusei.

"Supervise, huh?"

"It was just a card I got; I thought Shinji would like it so I gave it to him, end of story," Vanessa replied in a tiresome fashion.

"Don't worry about her, she's just angry that my Deck is now better than hers."

"Ha ha, sure it is Shinji," Vanessa chuckled. "You keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better."

"It does, and it will feel even better when I wipe the floor with you in front of Ryusei."

"What did you say?" Vanessa responded in a vicious tone.

"Okay," Ryusei interrupted, "Let's all relax for a moment." Ryusei looked at the two of them as they settled down. He instantly noticed an air of confidence from his friends. Whilst he was happy this has occurred, he did wonder what happened that instigated this change in them.

"Look, why don't we go and get something to eat? I feel like taking a break anyway."

"Sounds like a good idea," Shinji replied.

The trio headed out of the room and downstairs to the ground floor. As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, the entrance door to the dorm suddenly burst wide open. Everyone turned to see Masaki and Kazuma standing in the doorway. Masaki scanned the room until his eyes were locked with Ryusei's. A big smile appeared on his face as he started making his way towards Ryusei. Ryusei didn't avert his eyes and kept a serious face as Masaki finally ended up standing in front of him. The two had heavily focused glares at each other, generating a great deal of tension within the room. Masaki then decided to break this atmosphere by saying,

"Man I'm thirsty, I need a drink."

Masaki moved away from a surprised Ryusei to the nearest vending machine.

"You want a drink Kazuma?"

"I'm fine thanks," He responded.

"How about you man?" Masaki asked, looking at Ryusei.

"Uh, no I'm okay."

Masaki put some money in and selected a bottle of water. He grabbed the water after it popped out, opened the bottle and drank almost half the bottle in one go.

"That's much better," he said to himself before walking towards Ryusei again. When he reached Ryusei for the second time, he outstretched his hand, with a friendly smile on his face.

"Masaki Nanbu,"

"Ryusei Fujiwara,"

The two firmly shook hands as they introduced themselves. Some students were confused whilst others instantly knew what was about to take place.

"Ryusei, I've been hearing some interesting things about you."

"Like what?"

"How you've been causing quite a stir since you got here, especially with your performance in the tournament last year."

"Uh, No offense, but all this stuff is really old news," Vanessa intervened, "How come you have only heard about this just now?"

"I was in America at the time, and Kazuma didn't feel it necessary to pass on that information."

At that point, the pin finally dropped for Ryusei,

"Ah, I know who you are,"

"You do? I'm guessing Kazuma told you about me."

"A little bit,"

"So I take it you know why I'm here?"

"Yeah I do, when do you want to do this?"

"Whenever you want,"

"I'll see you outside in a few minutes."

"Fine by me," Masaki replied as he headed outside, drinking his water.

As he went outside, Vanessa immediately asked Ryusei in an irate tone,

"What the hell was that all about?"

"I'll be back in a minute," Ryusei announced as he went upstairs.

"Wait, Ryusei!" Vanessa called, but Ryusei just ignored her and continued upstairs.

Shinji then went to Kazuma and asked him,

"Kazuma, what's going on? Who was that guy?"

"That guy is Masaki Nanbu, the 'official' Duel Leader of Domino East."

"He's the Duel Leader?" A stunned Vanessa asked.

"Indeed, and since its Duel Rush he's now challenging Ryusei for the right to become Duel Leader of this Dorm."

"What!" The pair said in unified disbelief.

"I would explain more about it but it looks like its show time," Kazuma added whilst looking at the stairs. Very shortly, Ryusei appeared with his Duel Disk, with a determined face.

"Ryusei, you better win this duel!" Vanessa demanded.

"Just ignore her, do your best Ryusei!" Shinji responded, making Ryusei smile.

"Thanks, I will try."

Ryusei headed out of the door, followed by every student within the Dorm eager to see this Duel unfold. Ryusei walked up to Masaki and handed him his Deck for him to shuffle. As they shuffled each other's Decks, Masaki had a question to ask,

"There is something that bothers me Ryusei."

"What's that?"

"Well, from what I've been told you're an excellent duelist. So I'm wondering how you can reach all the way to the final of that tournament, and yet you can't beat Kazuma's crappy deck?"

"What the hell! That was uncalled for," Kazuma shouted which made Masaki laugh.

Ryusei gave a little smile and replied,

"I don't know; a duel can unfold in many ways."

"That's true, which is why I have a request. I want you to give it your all, no holding back in this duel."

Masaki added whilst handing Ryusei his Deck back. Ryusei then gave the other Deck back and headed to his side of the field silently. When enough space was created, Ryusei turned around and activated his Duel Disk.

"Okay, this duel is to become Duel Leader, the winner takes all! Are you ready Ryusei?" Masaki asked as he activated his Duel Disk.

"More than ever," a confident Ryusei replied.

The pair made their opening draws and shouted in the process,

"DUEL!"

LP: (Masaki-4000/Ryusei-4000)

Masaki: ("Ryusei Fujiwara, Kazuma told me all about your skill and your style of play. After hearing this you should be the challenge I've been looking for. Show me why you have what it takes to be Duel Leader.")

"My turn," Ryusei declared. "I set a monster face-down and end my turn."

Ryusei: ("Now, let's see what kind of duelist Masaki is.")

"Is that all? Fine by me," Masaki replied as he drew his card.

"First, since I control no monsters and you do, I can special summon my Cyber Dragon (2100/1600) in attack mode." A sleek metallic, armless dragon appeared in front of Masaki. It had metal spikes along its neck and back and robotic yellow eyes gleaming at Ryusei.

"Cyber Dragons," Ryusei whispered, instantly knowing the kind of Deck he would be up against.

"Now Cyber Dragon, attack Ryusei's monster with Evolution Burst!"

The mechanical dragon roared out a bright blue beam of energy which instantly destroyed Ryusei's monster, revealed to be Apprentice Magician (400/800).

"When my Apprentice is destroyed by battle, I can summon my Old Vindictive Magician (450/600) in face-down defense mode."

Masaki knew what the monster Ryusei set was capable of, but he didn't show any concern.

"I end my turn with one card face-down."

"My turn then," Ryusei drew his card and saw a Spell that he thought could give him a major advantage in this duel.

"First, I'll flip my Old Vindictive Magician (450/600)! When I do that I can destroy a monster on your side of the field, like your Cyber Dragon!"

"I'm afraid not Ryusei, I reveal my Trap, Attack Reflector Unit! By releasing my Cyber Dragon I can summon Cyber Barrier Dragon (800/2800) in its place." A similar dragon to Cyber Dragon appeared. This time it had a longer body and tail, with an octagonal guard fixed around its neck.

"And since your monster's target has gone, no monster is destroyed by your magician."

Ryusei knew what Masaki's new monster was capable of, as well as the reason why he left it in attack mode. Taking this into consideration, he decided to go a different route.

"I release my Old Vindictive Magician to summon Magical Marionette (2000/1000), and then activate the Field Spell, Magical Citadel Of Endymion!"

Vanessa and Shinji began to wonder whether they have ever seen Ryusei using Field Spells as the landscape of the playing field changed. The end result was a large enchanting town. The town was circular in general, with a very tall, magical tower in the middle. Encircling the tower was four buildings and many smaller architectural accomplishments. The magical town expressed a beautiful sight, which amazed the viewing audience.

"Now, since a Spell was played my Marionette gains a Spell Counter, and another 200 attack points (Marionette-2200/1000)! But I then play Spell Power Grasp! This lets me add a Spell Counter to a card I control, and then I can add another Spell Power Grasp from my Deck to my hand."

"So you'll be adding another counter to your Marionette," Masaki stated.

"Not exactly, I'm actually going to place it on my Field Spell, Citadel."

"He can do that?" Shinji asked in amazement as a yellow ball started floating around the city in a slow, rhythmic pace.

"Also my Citadel works in the same way as my Marionette. So since a Spell Card was played, they both get a Spell Counter (Marionette-2400/1000, Citadel-2 Spell Counters).

"Hmm, anything else you want to throw in there?" Masaki asked.

"Yes there is, my Marionette's effect allows me to remove two Spell Counters from it to destroy a monster on the field, so your Cyber Barrier Dragon is now gone!"

Marionette sent her knife-wielding puppet forward which slashed the monster into two, destroying it. At that moment, Masaki noticed that Marionette's attack points didn't decrease as it was supposed to.

"Care to explain what just happened?"

"My Citadel can remove Counters from itself to activate the effects of cards on my side of the field. Go Magical Marionette (2400/1000), attack Masaki directly!"

"I discard Swift Scarecrow (0/0) from my hand to the Graveyard and due to its effect; your Battle Phase ends."

Ryusei was slightly annoyed at the fact that he missed his opportunity for a full on counter attack.

"I end my turn," he said with a low tone.

"Good, I draw and summon Cyber Ouroboros (100/600) to the field." A small, dark robotic dragon appeared on the field, with its tail ending up very close to its own mouth.

"With that in play I now activate the Spell Card, Overload Fusion."

Ryusei showed a pained face as he realised he was in trouble.

"I can tell from your face that you know what's about to happen. I remove from play my Cyber Dragon, Cyber Barrier Dragon, Swift Scarecrow and Cyber Ouroboros in order to summon, Chimeratech Overdragon (?/?)!"A large metallic body with four large spaces and a tail appeared on the field. Soon afterwards, four identical heads came out from the body one after the other, and roared in unison at Ryusei.

"Hold on, its attack points are unspecified," Vanessa pointed out.

Ryusei also noticed that and immediately figured that it has something to do with the monsters he removed from play.

"Is that why you removed so many monsters?"

"That's correct Ryusei, my Chimeratech gains 800 attack and defense points for each monster that was used in its summoning. So since four monsters were used to summon it, its stats now stand at 3200. In addition, I use my Ouroboros' effect. When it's removed from play I can send a card (Cancelled Crossfire) from my hand to the Graveyard and draw one card from my Deck."

"Don't forget that my Marionette (2600/1000) and my Citadel gain a Spell Counter due to you playing a Spell."

"Like that's going to bother me, Chimeratech Overdragon, Evolution Result Burst!"

All four heads charged an electric beam from their mouths and fired them simultaneously. The beams merged into one gigantic force which vaporised Ryusei's monster, causing a large explosion.

LP (Masaki-4000-3400)

Some of the audience cheered in support of Masaki, which were mainly students from the same year who knew him whilst he was at Domino East.

"My Citadel's effect activates, when a monster with Spell Counters on the field is destroyed, the Spell Counters on the destroyed monster gets added to Citadel (Citadel-4 Spell Counters)!"

"Those Spell Counters don't faze me at all Ryusei. In fact, why don't I help you out by playing another Spell?"

"What?"

"I play Future Fusion; by sending two Cyber Dragons from my Deck to the Graveyard I can summon my Cyber Twin Dragon (2800/2100) in two turns."

"Great," Ryusei responded in a sarcastic manner as his Citadel gained its fifth Spell Counter.

"Honestly Ryusei, after hearing the things you have accomplished, so far you've been disappointing."

"That's not fair," Vanessa shouted, "He's barely had a chance to do anything!"

"If what I heard about him is true, then this current situation shouldn't be a problem for him. I set one card face-down and it's now your move Ryusei."

Ryusei: ("It is my move and I better to make it count. Kazuma wasn't joking about this guy's strength. He's definitely an aggressive duelist, forcing his opponent on the back foot as soon as possible. There's no way I will be able to match him in power so I'm gonna have to be smart about this if I want to win. So I hope you're ready Masaki, because from here on out, I'm going all out for the victory!")

Location: Domino South Dorm

At the same time, a duel was coming to its conclusion in front of the Domino South Dorm. A small group of students were watching a short, black haired girl duelling against Yuri. Unfortunately for her she was about to lose the duel.

"XYZ Dragon Cannon, Hyper Destruction!"

The monster raised its cannons up and fired a powerful beam directly at the girl. She went down to one knee as her Life Points reached 0. Yuri then sighed as he switched off his Duel Disk.

"Really, is that all there is? Of all the new students that are here, none of you are good enough to take on our leader? It's a shame, a damn shame."

Watching from the window in his room on the top floor was Hayate. He wore the same black blazer, trousers and shoes. But this time he wore a dark red t-shirt underneath his blazer, instead of the usual white t-shirt. As he continued watching the events outside, he heard a knock on the door.

"Enter," he responded.

The door opened and Tasuku entered the room.

"So, Yuri won again."

"Yeah, no one could touch him. I mean there are some very good duelists this time around, but to be honest they are not at our level," Tasuku reported.

"Hmm, fair enough, but keep an eye out though. There's bound to be someone here with the potential to be at our level."

"Of course, however since no one made it past the first hurdle, it means that you have to pick an opponent in this Dorm to face for your leadership."

Hayate didn't say anything and continued looking out the window.

"Hey man, are you okay?" Tasuku asked.

"I'm fine; go and tell Yuri that he will be my opponent."

"Seriously?"

"Why not, he's earned his shot so it's only fair that I give it to him."

"All right, I'll let him know, but seriously though Hai, are you all right?"

Hayate then turned to face Tasuku,

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"You've been a little different in the last couple of weeks."

"How do you mean?"

"I don't know; it's just something I've been sensing."

"Don't worry about me man; I told you, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Suddenly a flash of a disturbing image appeared in Hayate's mind. It was his Guardian Dragon, Red Dragon Archfiend, roaring in excruciating pain as it was engulfed by an extremely bright white light. Hayate gave a fake smile and replied,

"Positive."

"All right, I'll see you later."

Tasuku headed out of Hayate's room, leaving Hayate with his thoughts regarding the image that appeared in his mind.

Location: Domino East Dorm

Back to the duel, Ryusei had just drawn his card and planned his move.

"I play Graceful Charity, so I get to draw three cards and then discard two (Defense Wizard (400/1700) and Crystal Seer (100/100). I then summon Apprentice Magician (400/800) in defense mode, and its effect adds another Spell Counter on to my Field Spell (Citadel-7 Spell Counters). I end my turn with a face-down."

"My turn," Masaki declared as he drew his card. "Chimeratech Overdragon, attack his Apprentice Magician!"

"I remove from play my Defense Wizard (400/1700) in my Graveyard. Because of that, my monster isn't destroyed by this battle."

"Nice move Ryusei. You obviously needed to keep that monster on the field to mount some sort of comeback. However, I'm afraid you've miscalculated this time."

"What does he mean?" Shinji asked.

"Chimeratech Overdragon has another effect." Kazuma responded.

"That's right, Chimeratech can attack monsters a number of times equal to the number of monsters that was used to summon it," Masaki explained.

"So since he used four monsters, his monster can attack four times!" Shinji exclaimed.

"Precisely, so Chimeratech, attack Apprentice Magician again!"

The second head fired a high powered beam, shattering Ryusei's monster.

"Apprentice Magician's effect summons another Apprentice Magician face-down."

"Chimeratech, conduct your third attack!"

"My Apprentice's effect summons Tuner monster, Frequency Magician (800/400) in face-down defense mode."

"Chimeratech, use your final attack on his Tuner monster!"

"I activate my Magic Cylinder, which negates the attack and you take damage equal to your monster's attack points!"

The large amount of damage Masaki was about to take caused some disturbances within the crowd.

"Nicely done Ryusei, but I activate Cancelled Crossfire from my Graveyard."

"Did you say from your Graveyard?"

"I did, I can remove this Trap Card from play to reduce all Effect Damage this turn to zero."

"Damn it," Ryusei muttered.

"I end my turn with one card face-down."

Ryusei: ("Masaki is playing well, countering everything I've thrown at him. However, being so flippant about my Spell Counters is about to cost him dearly.")

"My turn, I play Smashing Ground, destroying your Overdragon."

Masaki had no reaction as his monster shattered, generating the eighth Spell Counter on Citadel.

"I next summon Maiden Of Macabre (1700/0) to the field, and then flip my Tuner monster, Frequency Magician (800/400)!"

"You're too obvious Ryusei!" Masaki exclaimed.

"What!"

"I reveal my Trap, Discord! While this is on the field, neither player is allowed to Synchro Summon.

"What!"

"That's right, I know about your little tricks with your Synchro Monsters Ryusei, and I also knew that you were going to use those counters to win this turn. Tempest Magician was the one you were going for, right?"

"How did you know?"

"I make a big deal of knowing as much as possible about my opponent."

"That's an unfair advantage!" Vanessa shouted.

"How is that unfair? Ryusei easily could have asked the same questions about me but he chose not to. If he did, he might be able to change his Deck to deal with my cards better. But he didn't, and that's why he's in the position he is now."

"Don't worry about it Vanessa," Ryusei said to calm her down, "It seems that Masaki has forgotten that my turn isn't done yet. I play my Spell Power Grasp, adding a Spell Counter to my Maiden of Macabre (1900/0), increasing her attack by 200 points. I then add another Power Grasp to my hand. Now both my monsters will wage a direct attack on you Masaki!"

The monsters charged forward and struck Masaki simultaneously, causing him to flinch.

LP: (Masaki-1300/Ryusei-3400)

This time the other students started cheering for Ryusei, celebrating his miniature comeback.

"I end my turn with one card face-down, your move Masaki."

As the crowd started to get restless, Vanessa was in two minds as to how the duel will go.

"What do you think Shinji?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm not sure; it's too close to call." Shinji said in response, "What do you think Kazuma? Since you know both of them, maybe you can call it."

Kazuma didn't answer Shinji, but instead had his own thoughts.

Kazuma: ("I wish I could give you an answer Shinji but I can't. I thought it would be a close duel, but I was confident that Masaki would win, no matter what happens. But now I'm not so sure. Masaki knows all of Ryusei's common plays and hasn't held back and yet, he is still standing, unfazed and for the time being, winning this duel. It seems both Masaki and I may have underestimated how far Ryusei has come.")

"My turn," Masaki declared, "It's now my second Standby Phase, which means Future Fusion will now summon my Cyber Twin Dragon (2800/2100)!"

A large mechanical, twin-headed dragon emerged from the newly present vortex. The left head had a smooth shape with blue facial markings whilst the right head was more spiked with a yellow bead on its forehead.

"I next play Clause For Re-Draw!"

"What's that?"

"First, I get to toss a coin and the result of that toss, determines the effect of this card."

Masaki took a coin out of his pocket and tossed it. He caught it and opened his palm, revealing the result to be tails.

"Since the result was tails, both of us remove from play all cards in our hand and then draw five new cards from our Deck."

Masaki had no hand whilst Ryusei removed Spell Power Grasp.

Both players drew their new hands and liked the new cards they got as Citadel gained its ninth Spell Counter.

"I now summon Cyber Phoenix (1200/1400) to the field in attack mode." A small robotic phoenix appeared onto the field. It widened it wings, revealing red metal blades as its innards, and let out a high pitch screech upon summoning.

"When this is on the field, all Machines cannot be targeted by Spells or Traps."

"Extra protection I take it,"

"Something like that, now my Cyber Twin has the ability attack twice per turn so prepare to have your field wiped out! Cyber Twin Dragon, destroy both of his monsters!"

Each head fired a strong blast of white light, with a hint of blue, instantly destroying Ryusei's monsters. Vanessa and Shinji gasped as they witnessed the events of Masaki's onslaught, while half of the audience where cheering for Masaki's impending victory.

LP: (Masaki-1300/Ryusei-500)

"The Spell Counter from my Maiden gets added to my Citadel (10 Spell Counters) and I also activate my Trap, Sage Soul Summoning! When a Spellcaster is destroyed by battle I can summon a Spellcaster from my Graveyard. But its effect is negated until the end of the next turn, so come forth, Maiden of Macabre (1700/0)!"

Masaki growled at not being able to finish Ryusei off and set three cards face-down to signal the end of his turn.

"My turn," Ryusei drew his card and saw his ace monster which made him smile,

"I summon Jowgen the Spiritualist (200/1300) and with this, I can discard a random card from my hand to destroy all monsters that were special summoned!"

"But doing that will cause him to lose his own monster as well!" Shinji exclaimed.

"I can only assume he's trying to finish the duel this turn." Kazuma answered.

Ryusei shuffled his hand well and picked up the top card (Magician's Valkyria). He discarded that to Graveyard and in turn, Jowgen fired a ray of purple light from its staff, obliterating Masaki's Cyber Twin Dragon and Maiden of Macabre.

"Next, I play Magical Dimension, releasing my Jowgen to summon my Cybernetic Magician (2400/1000)!"

"Cybernetic Magician, I was wondering when he would appear."

"As a bonus, my Magical Dimension destroys a monster on the field, so your Phoenix is destroyed (Citadel-11 Spell Counters)! Cybernetic Magician, attack Masaki directly with Light Cyber Blast!"

"I play the Trap, Defense Draw! With this, I take no Battle Damage and draw one card."

"Crap,"

"Is there anything else Ryusei?" Masaki asked as he drew his card.

Ryusei looked at the last two cards in his hand carefully, seemingly deciding which card to go with. Eventually he announced,

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Fine, my turn then and I play Pot Of Greed so I get to draw two more cards," Masaki drew his cards and got the perfect ones he needed, just as Citadel gained its twelfth Spell Counter.

"Ryusei, you have been a great opponent, and I'm pleased that Kazuma recommended you to be my challenger. However, the cards I have just drawn will end this duel in my victory."

"This duel isn't done yet!"

"Yes it is, firstly I'll play Light Of Redemption! With this I can pay 800 Life Points to return a Light Attribute monster that was removed from play to my hand, so I think I will select Cyber Dragon."

LP: (Masaki-500/Ryusei-500)

"Next I will special summon my Cyber Dragon (2100/1600) and flip my Torrential Tribute, destroying all monsters on the field!"

Ryusei was confused for a moment as to why Masaki was making this move.

"Why did Masaki destroy his own monster?" Vanessa asked, worried about the potential ulterior motive.

Ryusei: ("He did it because he had to, so that he can play the cards he just got.")

"I now play the cards that will end this duel Ryusei; I activate Power Bond and Cybernetic Fusion Support!"

"No!"

"Yes, Power Bond allows me to fuse monsters to summon a Machine-Type Fusion Monster, but by using my Fusion Support card and by paying half my Life Points, the material monsters can be removed from play from my Graveyard instead!"

"No," Vanessa cried, as cheers from Masaki's support grew louder and louder.

LP (Masaki-250/500)

"So I remove from play three Cyber Dragons from my Graveyard in order to summon my Cyber…End…Dragon (4000/2800)!"

An enormous three-headed robotic dragon rose from the ground and released a powerful roar as it made itself upright. Its shape looked very similar to Cyber Twin Dragon but this time, the dragon had a differently styled third head and widespread wings. As the crowed looked at the monster, overawed by its size and power, Ryusei surprisingly, still remained unfazed.

"4000 attack points," Shinji exclaimed, "Ryusei can't beat that!"

"I'm afraid it's going to get worse," Kazuma responded.

"Keep in mind Ryusei that due to Power Bond's effect, the attack of my Cyber End Dragon (8000/2800) is doubled."

Ryusei groaned at the sight of the monster and its overwhelming power.

"Cyber End Dragon, attack Ryusei directly, Eternal Evolution Burst!" The three headed dragon blasted out an almighty laser beam which hurtled towards Ryusei. Everyone looked on nervously, awaiting the outcome of this attack. Until finally, Ryusei said,

"I reveal my face-down, Enemy Controller! With this I can shift your monster into defense mode and cancel your attack!"

"I thought you would try something like that, which is why I reveal my face-down Spell, Forbidden Lance!"

"What!"

"I reduce my monster's attack by 800 points (Cyber End Dragon-7200/2800) and in turn, its unaffected by all Spells and Traps this turn! I told you already, this duel is over!"

"Not yet it's not!"

"What!"

"I activate my Counter Trap, Anti-Spell! By removing two Spell Counters from my Citadel (14 Spell Counters), I can negate your Lance and destroy it!"

"No!" Masaki cried out as his card shattered, forcing the end result of his monster being turned into defense mode. Despite being incredibly frustrated with what just happened, Masaki couldn't help but smile at the way Ryusei avoided what he thought was certain defeat.

"Man, I really thought I had you Ryusei. You really are full of surprises.

"And you're one hell of an opponent. It's no wonder that you're the Duel Leader. Unfortunately, due to your Power Bond's effect, as soon as you finish your turn you will lose.

"Don't be stupid Ryusei; you should know by now that I tend to have a backup plan. I summon Cyber Kirin (300/800)." What appeared was a mini robotic giraffe, with spikes all across its body and a long tail with a cannonball spike at the end of it.

"With its effect, I can release this card so that I take no damage this turn."

"Clever move,"

"Also since three turns have passed since I activated Discord, it's now destroyed. It's your move Ryusei and it's probably going to be your final one."

Ryusei looked up at Masaki's powerful creature with an unconcerned expression. The monster growled deeply in an attempt to intimidate Ryusei but to no avail.

Masaki: ("I can see why Kazuma chose him to represent my Dorm in the tournament. He's got great skills and he's confident. But more importantly, he is not fazed by anything. He's staring at a monster with 8000 attack points and it doesn't even bother him. Whatever is in his way, he will try with all his might to overcome it. However, in his current position, it will be hard for him to turn this around. Despite his Field Spell having a large number of Spell Counters, he has no hand. He would require a really lucky draw for him to get out of this situation, but why do I feel uneasy and why does he look so confident?")

"This is my final move, are you ready Masaki?" Ryusei asked, as he placed his fingers on his Deck.

"Make your move," Masaki responded.

"Come on Ryusei," Vanessa whispered as a nervous Shinji was biting his nails.

Ryusei paused for a moment, exhaled and then drew his card forcefully. A deafening silence fell across the audience, which was only broken by a slight breeze. Ryusei slowly flipped the card over and smiled at what he saw, making Masaki wonder what his plan was.

"Masaki, the card I've just drew has the power to take down your Cyber End Dragon!"

"Really Ryusei, well I think you're bluffing. You can't win from this position."

"Well, let's see about that shall we? You're about to learn a lesson as to why you shouldn't have disregarded my Spell Counters. I remove six Spell Counters from my Citadel (8 Spell Counters)!"

"What, how?"

Six of the yellow balls formed a circle in the middle of the town and rapidly spun in the air, creating a portal.

"By removing six Spell Counters from my Field Spell I can summon a certain monster from my hand."

"You can what!"

"Masaki, I would like you to meet, Endymion, The Master Magician (2700/1700)!" A male magician emerged from the portal and landed in front of Ryusei. What was present was a dark purple and gold magician's outfit, with a large gold ring on his back embedded with Spell Counter symbols. Attached to the ring was a swooping purple cape, whilst the magician also wielded a long staff with a purple orb on the head.

"When Endymion is summoned in this way I can add a Spell Card (Magical Dimension) from the Graveyard to my hand. However, Endymion's second effect now activates, allowing me to discard a Spell Card (Spell Power Grasp) from my hand. When I do that, I can destroy one card on the field."

"No!"

Masaki was stunned as Endymion fired a blast of energy from its palm, causing a massive explosion as it destroyed Masaki's monster.

"No way," Masaki muttered to himself.

"Go my Master Magician, attack Masaki directly!"

Endymion twirled his staff and fired a large purple beam of magic, engulfing Masaki.

LP (Masaki-0/Ryusei-500)

As the dust settled the audience were in disbelief as to what had just happened.

"He…did it," Vanessa whispered in disbelief, "He really did it, didn't he?"

Masaki raised his head at that moment and let out a huge sigh.

"It's been a long time since I found someone new that could push me this far." He then greeted Ryusei with a smile, and added, "It looks like there's a new leader in town."

Huge cheers came from the crowd in the appreciation of an excellent duel but more importantly, the crowning of a Duel Leader. Masaki walked up to Ryusei and offered his hand.

"Great duel Ryusei,"

"You too Masaki," Ryusei replied as he shook his hand, and then lifted it in congratulations, signalling a change of leadership.

Soon after Vanessa ran to Ryusei and hugged him tightly,

"You did it! I always knew you could!"

"Thanks Vanessa,"

"Congratulations Ryusei!" Shinji exclaimed.

"Thank you Shinji,"

Soon after, Ryusei was receiving applause and handshakes from all the students who was watching the match. As the students started chanting Ryusei's name, Kazuma looked on with a gentle smile on his face.

Kazuma: ("Ryusei, you're definitely something else aren't you?")

Kazuma then noticed Masaki was heading off elsewhere. Kazuma then followed him and finally caught up with Masaki.

"I'll be honest with you Masaki; I actually thought you were going to win that duel."

"Well it wasn't my intention to lose. But Ryusei will be a worthwhile Duel Leader; he was the right person for the role and the challenge I needed for when I came back here. So thank you Kazuma,"

"No problem, so I guess it's all about the final year for you now?"

"Nearly, there is still one more score I need to settle and I aim to do that soon."

Masaki and Kazuma headed off as the chants of Ryusei's name continued from their peers, until it gently started to fade away into the wind.

End of chapter

Preview: A concerned Ayaka has a recurring dream regarding Hayate and his Guardian Dragon and tries to warn him. Later on, she meets a friendly student whilst caring for her greenhouse. After spending the day with him, the student asks for a friendly duel which Ayaka agrees to. However, the duel takes a more sinister turn as the student's true nature is revealed.

Chapter 29-First Encounter, The Hand Of Libertas

**ORIGINAL CARDS**

Clause For Re-draw  
Normal Spell  
You can only activate this card when both players have 2 or fewer cards in their hand. Toss a coin and apply the following effect:

- Heads: Each player discards all cards in their hand and draws the same number of cards they discarded.  
- Tails: Each player removes from play all cards in their hand and draws 5 new cards from their Deck.

Cancelled Crossfire  
Normal Trap  
This card can only be activated during the Main Phase of a turn. When this card is activated, you take no Battle Damage this turn. When this card is in your Graveyard, you can remove it from play to have all Effect Damage inflicted to you this turn, reduced to 0.

Sage Soul Summoning  
Continuous Trap  
Activate this card only when a Spellcaster-Type Monster is destroyed by Battle. Special Summon a Spellcaster-Type monster from your Graveyard and equip it to this card. The monster that was Special Summoned by this effect cannot activate or apply its effect until the end of the next turn. When this card is removed from the field, destroy the monster. When the monster is destroyed, destroy this card.


	30. Message To Readers

Hi all

It's been a long time I know. I thought I should update you as to where I currently am. Essentially while writing this story a lot has happened to me both on a personal and professional level. Some positive some negative, one major negative being losing all my work on this story from a data transfer. That event was the main reason why I stopped working it for quite some time.

Anyway, I never like having unfinished business in anything I do so I managed to set some time aside in recent months to re-create the storyline once again to a similar vein to the original. So I am just letting you guys know as of right now I am writing new chapters for Yu-Gi-Oh! Dragon Destiny, with the view of publishing them early next year (targeting Jan-Feb). So anyone who read this fanfic in the past or new readers, who have just started but have a vested interest, please continue to follow and I will get chapters done as soon as I can. Feel free to bombard me with PMs asking for updates and I will reply promptly, just to make sure I am continuing my work on it.

Thank you for your patience and hopefully you will continue to enjoy the story as it progresses.

Nyjetsrulz87


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